I recently attended a funeral of a 20 year old girl who was taken way before her time. It's hard to believe that such a young person can be taken away so soon. It puts life into perspective and makes you question if my life was taken today? What legacy or impact would I have made in this world? It also begs the question why did this 20 year old have to die so soon? In this article I am going to try to answer those two questions that are vital and important in my opinion. The truth is we all die. Whether young or old. Doesn't matter our race, religion, our social status or if we have money. Death doesn't care who you are...the truth is everyone dies. The Bible says it this way. Romans 6:23 the wages of sin is death and because we are born a sinner. That automatically puts us in the path leading to death. As I was sitting at the funeral, It made me realize that this young girl made an impact with her friends and family and it's really sad to say but how soon will her impact fade away. A prime example of that is after 9/11. I saw the country come together, flags were waiving everywhere, people generally banded together. But as time went on people went back to their daily lives. There weren't many flags on cars anymore and the impact was slowly fading away. What bothered me was that on the way to the cemetery in front of us was a story of a broken young girl who had a rough life and was gunned down by gang violence. But to everybody on the street that saw us driving along she was just another person that passed away. I didn't know the young girl, never met her, but through her death. She has made an impact on my life. I can't explain why people die so young. Some of it is because choices they make, some because of choices others make and some are just unexplainable. But the truth is everyone has a story!
Our stories are how we make an impact in the world. Our stories are what people will remember after were gone. We must decide how our stories are played out and how they are told. Our stories are what is vital to our time on Earth. Every day is a chance to make an impact using our story. If we are to call ourselves Christians. Then we must be witnesses of Jesus Christ. We need to tell people about His story. Because His story has made the biggest impact EVER. Even though everyone dies...His is the only story that brings life. The same verse I used earlier Romans 6:23 The wages of Sin is death BUT the gift of God is ETERNAL LIFE in Christ Jesus our Lord. You see His is the story you must tell people about. Here is the catch though not everyone wants to hear about Jesus. People you meet a lot of the time will be against anything having to do with Jesus. So how can you tell people about Jesus? Here is where your story comes into play. People are more likely to hear about your story rather than a story of a man that was crucified. People can relate to the struggles you go through and want to know how you handle them. People are more likely to hear you talk about God then go to a Church and hear a preacher talk about God. Why? Because real life isn't lived in a Church but in a home, at work, on the streets. Real problems begin in those settings more times than at Church. It's just the truth. So as Christians we need to know that it's not only the Pastor's job to save lives but that responsibility falls to every single one of us. At the end of the day we will make the greater impact in our social circle and our family than any Church can. The Church isn't a building but the people that occupy that building. Our legacy in this world will never be about the wealth we accumulate, or awards we have received. It will never be the homes, cars, or toys we have bought. It will ever be the job we have or the people we have met. It comes down to one simple word. JESUS! How many people did we point to JESUS? The Bible says He is the key to ETERNAL LIFE. The pastor at the funeral said it best. We must prepare for death. Whether we believe it or not one of our main goals in life is to use our stories to help save lives. Plain and simple. DEATH is a 5 letter word that takes away life. The hope of the world is found in another 5 letter word that even though DEATH COMES TO US ALL. We find life in J-E-S-U-S!
YESUS GITANO
CARLOS
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