After debating whether to let her sleep upstairs for the first time last night, we laid in bed and read the headlines. Details about the Oregon shooting emerged and Don asked, "So what would you say if someone asked you if you were a Christian and you knew saying yes meant a bullet to the head?"
"I don't know," I started, "I'd like to think that if I was faced with choosing Jesus or Allah, the choice would be easy to make. I would choose Jesus. But if staying silent meant a bullet to my knee verses a blow to my head, I might lean towards staying alive a little longer... is that bad?"
Honestly, I wasn't sure. None of us really are. Until faced with the unthinkable, we won't truly know. So I take solace knowing Jesus said, "Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you" (Matthew 10: 17 - 20 NIV).
If we submit to His authority in our lives, the Holy Spirit will speak for us.
Isn't that cool?
Consider this story about Corrie Ten Boom from The Hiding Place:
"Corrie joined her mother as they brought a basket of fresh bread up to a family who had just lost their baby. As her mother headed over to the young mother, Corrie stood frozen on the threshold when she saw that the homemade crib off to the right contained the dead baby. Her sister went over carefully and then touched the baby's cheek; it took a while, but Corrie at last put one finger on the small curled hand that was so cold.
Still shivering from that cold feel, she followed her sister up to their room and crept into bed beside her. She couldn't even begin to fall asleep until her father came up to arrange the blankets in his special way and then lay his hand for a moment on each head. As soon as he stepped through the door, however, she burst into tears and cried out 'I need you! You can't die! You can't'. Nollie then explained to their father about visiting Mrs Hoog and touching the dead child. She also reported that Corrie hadn't eaten anything since that experience.
Her father sat down on the edge of the narrow bed and gently began to ask Corrie a question: 'When you and I go to Amsterdam--when do I give you your ticket?' She sniffed a few times before responding with 'Why, just before we get on the train'. Her father then went on, 'Exactly. And our wise Father in Heaven knows when we're going to need things, too. Don't run out ahead of Him, Corrie. When the time comes that some of us will have to die, you will look into your heart and find the strength you need--just in time'."
The Hiding Place
by Corrie Ten Boom with John and Elizabeth Sherrill
(Spire Books, Fleming H Revell CO, NJ), 1971
The little girl who couldn't eat after seeing the dead child later protected Jews from Nazi soldiers and survived a concentration camp. Her faith roots ran deep, so very deep that she risked her life for others in need.
Though faith groups have been persecuted throughout history, Christians in America have been protected for many years. But while we've been taking selfies and scurrying from place to place, a growing resentment toward those who proclaim Jesus as Lord has tethered itself in demented minds.
I'm afraid there's more violence to come.
But with that violence is opportunity. Opportunity to make a stand. To believe in the face of injustice. "To hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful" (Hebrews 10: 23 NIV).
Get this... "Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands" (2 Corinthians 5: 1 NIV).
Do you live with that sense of eternity in mind? Do you get that we live in a mere tent here compared to the home to come? If I hadn't lost my first spouse to a brain tumor years ago, it might not make sense to me.
But it does.
So while we grieve the loss of life today, may we also choose to celebrate the life to come. Anchored in that hope, we can rest assured the Holy Spirit will speak through us when the gun barrel is pointed our way.
photo credit: Espresso via photopin (license)
photo credit: Strangers on a Train via photopin (license)
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