Let's freak out! Okay, that's probably not Scriptural. But, that's what many want to do. Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount to be "anxious for nothing." Easier said than done. I remember where I as and what I was doing when President Kennedy was assassinated. I remember where I was when Elvis Presley died. I remember where I was and what I was doing when John Lennon was murdered. I remember when President Reagan had an attempt made on his life. I remember the riots of the criminal elements in southern California and the havoc that was wreaked on those days. I remember when Martin Luther King was assassinated. There are lots of other tragedies like the bombing in Oklahoma City, the shooting in Orlando, the school killing in Colorado and many other places. I remember the bombs that have rocked the world in many different countries. Do you remember? What is your response? My Christian outlook was challenged with each and every traumatic happening. Sometimes the traumatic happening was to me, involved me and was about me. So, I sit here a changed man by history of our nation, world and my life. My Christian response has been challenged and morphed to what it is now. How about you?
The Christian is to be anxious for nothing. Yet, there is one thing I am positively anxious for. I am positively anxious for that moment when I first step into heaven. I will have left behind all of the fore mentioned. I do get anxious today. I remember and re-experience the trauma of the day. I remember the hopelessness, anxiety, and uncertainty as if I was there still. My brother was a pilot and was near the area. Unable to get hold of him for 2 days my anxious feelings seemed justified. He was okay and taken care of. Thank God! That's what we say when things turn out okay or even good. What do we say when they don't turn out good? Jesus told us to rejoice when evil is done to us. WHAT! Jesus told us that we were to store up our treasures in heaven where mankind cannot take or steal from us. But I remember... You remember... The rest of the world remembers... Christians remember... Can't seem to get away from remembering. The key, according to Jesus, is to not be held captive by that which comes our way, to not be captive of that which we think, see and do. He tells us that He is in control and EVERYTHING is under control and his plan is being worked out. Remember...
I feel very conflicted over so many of the events listed above. I feel conflicted by the Christian response that is expected by God, the other Christians around me and of course, myself. What am I to do? I think the Christian is okay to remember, understand the anxiousness of the moment and to move on. When we stand in one place for to long, we become immobilized by inaction. Inaction means we are a sedentary target by the enemy and sometimes by ourselves. Remember but don't be anxious. Remember but don't stop moving. Remember but don't take your eyes off the goal which you have fought so hard and long to attain. Remember who fights for you, hems you in on all sides and delivers you from the valley of darkness. Do not be anxious about what is in the past but be anxiously awaiting the coming of our Lord Jesus. All is not lost. Never has been lost and never will be lost for the Christian. It's just a matter of you and I making a choice. It's always your choice.
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