I just returned from my All State trip today. I couldn't post while I was gone because they wanted a fortune for internet service. Before I left I had to create an assignment for my class. I had an idea that involved the shooting at Columbine High School. The entire trip I couldn't get it out of my head. I began to think of the young girl that stood her ground and lost her life. This young lady awoke just like every other morning going through the mundane routines we all do to prepare for the day. As she went to school she went through the day studying and completing the assignments without a thought that soon her day would turn to tragedy. As the bell rang for lunch she approached the lunch room. I can picture her visiting with her friend's with such things as, "how did you do on the exam" or "what are you doing after school". As she sat there eating like any other normal day the unimaginable happened. A young man entered the lunchroom with a weapon and approached her. At this point I can only imagine the panic that struck through the room. I can tell you, when teenagers get startled there is no fight or flight, it is RRRRUUUUNNN!!!!!! I picture it as total chaos. Kids running every direction, hiding under tables and screaming at the top of their lungs. This young lady did not run or hide. She stood toe to toe and face to face with this dangerous young man. This young man, holding a gun, asked a very simple yet very challenging question, "are you a christian?" This one second in time probably went by as an eternity. I wander what went through her mind at that moment. Was it, "I could lie and maybe he won't hurt me" or maybe, "I could beg and plead for my life". No one knows what actually this courageous young lady thought. In the midst of utter chaos this young girl bathed in the blood of Christ Jesus our Lord said the most profound thing......"yes"....... That one word not only Glorified our Saviour, it sent a message to a lost world that rings in the ears of people everywhere.....
I have meditated on this all week and it has me puzzled. What words of wisdom was said to this girl somewhere in time that brought about this indisputable passion? Was it an act of kindness shown to her in a dark moment that had her faith in God burning white hot? Was it something instilled in her by her father's guidance? I want to know...... I want so much for myself to be this passionate about my Gracious God. More importantly I want my kids to be this rock solid in their faith. I pray that God could use me in a monumental way with engraving his love on their minds, hearts, and souls. I don't know what brought such boldness, confidence, and power to this little girl's faith other than divine intervention.
One thing is for sure though we will never know, this side of heaven, who or what touched this young lady's life preparing her for this moment. I know this girls life makes me appreciate the small things. It makes me wonder who's life I am touching when. The author Erwin Raphael McManus says it best in his book, Seizing Your Divine Moments, "Often divine moments look like inconveniences on the front end. It is virtually impossible to predict the range or depth of impact that can result in the lives of others when we seize these God-given opportunities. Our sphere of influence is no small part in this journey. We must never underestimate where influence can take us. One of the ways we miss divine moments is to treat what we consider nominal influence as irrelevant. We must never underestimate the importance of one moment, one word, one deed in the life of another human being."
I am by no means the perfect dad or husband and can not even be considered for the most dedicated christian man. I can only pray that God wants to still use a sinner such as I. I don't even know where to begin in telling you where one should begin to be an influence. My wife read somewhere that dads must hug their daughters eight times a day in order to fill their love tanks so they know they are loved. At this rate I calculate that I am about 16,425 hugs behind but I intend on beginning there by giving every last one of them. I want my girls to know that their dad loves them more than his own life and, in time, teach them that as much as their earthly daddy loves them God loves them even more.
7 comments:
it was 10, not 8...you're farther behind than you thought :) actually, i've been reading franklin graham's 'living beyond the limits"...talks about that very thing, the power to face our fears. maybe we should trade books when we finish.
i hate using the computer behind you....i always end up signed in under the wrong name!
What a strong young lady.. stronger than I probably would have been at that age.. stronger than I probably am now. I wonder those same things... how do we instill these feelings into OUR children? I love that you're so in love with your girls. I strongly believe that girls tend to grow up to act like their mothers, but they act out according to their fathers. Keeping our children's "love tanks" full, I fully believe, will keep them close to God and out of trouble! Better get going on those hugs ;)
Hmmm that will give me something to think about....... (and discuss with Ashley........)
Another winning post. Wow. I'm impressed!
BTW, have you ever heard of the concept of paragraphs? It's this really cool, new way of dividing long segments of thoughts to make them more readable and digestable.
See, here's one now..
And another one.
Isn't that nice? ;)
Jeff - You're right about the paragraphs...looks too stream-of-consciousness the way it is.
TJ - Hey, here's my first comment on your blog. I've always pictured the actions of this girl to be more angry and defiant than submissively faithful. Imagine some idiot geek with a gun taunting you. You'd be threatened, sure, but also quite angry. I believe she said "yes" in faith, but also as a way to deny the gunman the power he sought: Kind of a Christian way of giving him the finger. It's a slightly different take, of course, but that's how I picture it going down.
Nice post.
great post TJ. Keep em' coming.
kh
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