|
Allow me to share a moving moment from the time I spent at "Ground Zero" last week in New York City. The air was thick from the pulverized cement of the fallen towers of the World Trade Center as the fireman pointed to a cross. It hadn't been placed there by any person. Rather, as the product of destruction, it was formed by the massive metal support beams being violently ripped apart but now stood as a seemingly stark reminder of another death. The huge firefighter who showed it to me was adamant, "It was a sign! I was pulling corpses out of this debris. No signs of life! No hope! Then I looked up and there it was!" Five of us stood there studying it-two FBI agents, a local police officer, the fireman, and myself. In this solemn place of mass murder and senseless death stood a reminder of the One who came to bring eternal life. Such a moment couldn't be more poignant. What's more is that this same fireman who showed us the cross was determined to remove it and preserve it as a memorial. We all locked arms, bowed our heads, and prayed-can you imagine? Four law enforcement professionals and a preacher praying that this cross and the One who gave His life on it two thousand years ago would not be forgotten-even here at "Ground Zero"! "Ground Zero" can come in many ways-not just the sudden crash of fuel-laden aircraft that renders buildings as rubble. It can be the sudden intrusion of an aggressive and fatal disease. For some it may come when a husband walks out, leaving a single mother to raise her four children alone. It can strike when we least expect-a fall from a ladder that renders its victim a quadriplegic. These are the experiences that can reduce our life to ashes. It is at such times we need to see the cross. Why? Because the cross reminds us of a basic truth about suffering-the very worst thing can yield some of the very best things. God proved that on Himself! The greatest tragedy of human history was the death of God on a cross. Nothing could be more heinous. Yet it became the very best thing-now heaven's doors could be freely opened to the humans He created. Out of His death came our life. No wonder Paul made such a big deal about the cross; he boasted in it. You should too-especially when you find your life reduced to the rubble of "Ground Zero." It could be the very place you find God more vividly than ever before. In His strong love, Skip Heitzig Bob Simons
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the
LORD,
"plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer. 29:11 [EMAIL PROTECTED] |
