Originally written on July 23, 2012, I wrote this post as a response to the evil I was seeing in the world around me. As I shared this post on social media, I mentioned that if God decided it was my time to die He could open a sinkhole under my home.
One week later, a man was buried alive when a sinkhole opened under his home and swallowed him and the contents of his bedroom entirely.
Do I say this to scare you? No.
I just want you to realize that the potential for death is all around us because we live in a broken, sinful world. So, my friend, be sure where you will spend eternity if your life should end today.
What to Do When the Days Are Evil
From July 23, 2012
See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
– Ephesians 5:15-17
The weather was unbearably hot, and I was on my way to the grocery store for milk when I saw him, walking with strength and confidence in his stride. He was wearing a black apron… the same black apron they wear at the grocery store to which I was going. I didn’t really think about it when I pulled over and waited for him to walk past the van.
“Do you work at Winn Dixie?”
“No ma’am. I am walking to my friend’s house so he can give me a ride to work at Steak & Shake.”
“Well, it’s much too hot to be walking. Would you like a ride?”
The only other time I had offered a person a ride, it had been a lady and my husband was with me. Both of us were shocked that we had been so brave, and I had promised him that I would never offer a ride to a stranger without him with me. I actually told this to the young man in my passenger seat.
Related: As I lay dying; What my friend would tell you if she could
“But, you look relatively harmless,” I admitted. He gave a nervous chuckle. Then, we chatted about the recent holiday, his work, and his mother.
What was the big deal anyway? I knew other people would flip out when I told them… if I told them… that I (a white woman) had given a ride to a young, black man. But, I didn’t see him as a color. I didn’t consider him a danger. These thoughts did not even register in my brain. I just saw a human in need.
A few days later, a friend expressed her concern. “You can never be too careful… It’s a real shame that in this day in time, you don’t know if the person sitting next to you at a red light is packing a gun and is about to shoot into your car. I wish things weren’t that way and we can only pray to God that things get better.”
Yes, the days are filled with evil…
A couple of days ago a man opened fire in a movie theater in Colorado.
A week ago a man opened fire in a sports bar just off campus from the University of Alabama.
Two weeks ago a local man got out of car to shoot and kill a woman because she yelled at him to slow down on the street where young children play.
A month ago a man was arrested for coming into a local church heavily armed with multiple semi-automatic weapons.
And… just a few days ago… someone placed a pipe bomb in the mailbox of an elderly lady not two miles from my home. (Thank goodness the bomb did not detonate.)
What’s my point?
… you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.
– James 4:14
The days are evil… and I don’t think they are getting better… but I am not going to stick my head in the sand and merely pray that things will change. I don’t want to wrap myself in caution tape and hide in a corner.
No.
I am completely aware that my life is short and I am going to use every day that I can to share the love of Jesus with people because let’s be honest… I am just as likely to die in a movie theater, to die in church, to die checking my mail as I could die in an automobile accident.
Who is to say that if I keep myself in a safe, little bubble, excluded from the potential hazards of the world, that God isn’t going to drop an asteroid on my house?
Those people… the ones I can give a blessing bag or a kind word or an air-conditioned ride on a hot summer day… are all going to die one day too. If God tells me to offer them love and I refuse, have I condemned them to an eternity separated from His love?
Related: Giving to the Homeless ~ Homeless Blessing Bags
That is not a risk I am willing to take.
My reply to my sweet friend was simply this: “To live is Christ. To die is gain. I am accountable to the Lord as He prompts me to serve. If I should die from an act of kindness, may God receive the glory.”
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
– Matthew 6:34
So, my advice to you is this…
1. Know where you will spend eternity after you die. My belief is that by faith in Jesus Christ and through the forgiveness of sins He has given me, I will spend eternity in heaven with Him.
2. Live each day intentionally. Do not shy away from what God lays on your heart. Do not live in fear of your neighbors. Live each day fulfilling the purpose that God has placed on your life.
3. Be wise and pray often. Don’t run around without focus but submit your heart to the one and only God, letting Him direct your path. Listen for His voice and do as He commands. Serve where He leads.
4. Love fiercely. Not just your family and friends but strangers too.
Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.
– Hebrews 13:2
What do you think?
Have the recent tragedies and rising crime rates changed how you live your life? What is your plan for keeping your family safe?
I know I’ll stir up some people, but to this great list filled with God.s peace, i’d add that I carry some took of self, defense as well. Whether you choose pepper spray, a knife, or a firearm, it only makes sense to be prepared and trained. In these cases where folks were “gunned down,” had anyone been carrying, lives could have been saved. But as stated here, everyone will die someday. If God calls you home, do you know where you’ll go? Are you at peace with that?
Thanks for sharing this piece.
I’ve considered taking a self-defense class, especially after a guy was attacking women in local grocery parking lots with a tire iron. Crazy, right?
Amen and AMEN! May God take this post far and wide and touch others hearts for His glory. Thank you for not being afraid to speak the truth about faith, hope and love.
Hugs, T
Yes. Praying a blessing on each person who reads this.
I love you Tonya!
My internal response was also “Amen and AMEN!” We must step out in faith and courage … bravo for sharing this post!
Thank you so much, Jane. I did have a few second thoughts about posting this but then I realize that it would be silly to be fearful of such a thing when I am willing to give stranger a ride. 😉
Excellent post. My pastor shared some of these same ideas on Sunday morning. I agree. We can’t hide away and wrap ourselves in bubble wrap.
Exactly. We would waste so much time and end up defeating the purpose God has for our lives. I told Bill that I want to just go and go and give and give and die poor. 😉
Right on! I spent some extra time snuggling with my little ones today after seeing a horrific scene at the water park this morning. Though the little boy was awake and moving when the paramedic took him to the hospital, the grandmother was a mess. Thankfully, the lifeguards were alert, but you never know.
Do what you can, prepare for the worst, and trust God ALWAYS!
So glad the child was taken care of quickly. I am sure the grandmother was caught up in the “what ifs” of the moment. I know I would have been.
Thank you for writing this. It was like the Lord spoke to my heart and eased the troubled spirit I have been battling. And Thank You for the reminder that the Lord tells us to be anxious for nothing.
I am so glad that God could use my little blog to help you, Andrea. May God continue to ease your mind and heart as you focus on Him. Many blessings…
Beautiful! Heart-stirring! Full of Truth! Thanks for the courage to share this. May He increase the times it is read as He moves in the hearts of us sinners. I so agree….following God’s lead is the very best thing we can do. To serve where He calls is the safest place we can be, and if He calls us Home in the midst of doing good, what could be any better? God bless you richly.
Thank you, Marsha. You have such a precious heart. Wish I could give you real-life hugs.
I missed this the first time around, and I just love it! Thank you so much!
I just want to be an encouragement, Rebecca. Hard on a day like today.
Thank you for being a faith servant of God. I pray that your post would touch the heart of all who read it. May God soften the heart of unbelievers and bring back any prodigals.
Many blessings to you.
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