I wrote this the summer of this year. As I looked through my illustrations for a lesson, this caught my eye. Bless ya as you reach out to all of the kids, regardless of the fruit that you see in their lives.
On the judgement day where Christ laid out everything that people did and brought all things to light, a man stood and watched as endless amounts of people had come forward.
Some of them were friends that he knew. Friends that he had worked along side of. Friends who had done great things and friends who had dropped the ball.
Some people had huge smiles on their faces and some, as if they’d been scorched by hell’s fire already.
And as it was time for this man to come forward, he heard his name called among the crowd. “Come forward please” the voice bellowed.
He then saw a list before him. The people he had been good to and treated with love and the people who he had overlooked. There were accomplishments and defeats and it was all brought before this man’s face to see… most of which he had forgotten about for a long, long time.
And then, people who he had shown the love of God to. This man smiled as memories flooded his mind of laughter, joy; yet also tears and sorrow. He had remembered many moments where relationships had ended and went sour. People who had walked away from him; regardless of his efforts to push them and despite his efforts to bring them back.
And then, in almost a twinkling of an eye, the voice spoke again.
Names.
Names of people who he had served… and looking around the crowd, he began to put faces to the names…
But there were some who he had no recollection of…
And also a name, of someone who he had not seen for a long, long time.
His face was not among the crowd.
It was the name of a man whom he’d done everything possible to bring him to know God’s love. He remembered the nights where he stayed up listening to the deepest hurts and pains, and the days of which frankly he wished he never met the man.
He was a hard man. But now: unseen.
As the man on trial scoured the crowd searching for this man, the voice said softly, "he’s not here. I’m sorry. It breaks my heart more than yours, more than the moments when I bore my cross…”
“So why did you mention his name?” the man interrupted, his eyes flowing with tears.
“Because I wanted to thank you. Thank you for being faithful when there was absolutely no reason to have faith. Thank you for believing when there wasn’t a shred of evidence or hope. Thank you, my good and faithful servant.”
Regardless of who walks through your doors this year, love them just like Christ loves them.
