I had just finished meeting with my staff when my secretary
told me there was a man in the waiting area outside my office “needing to talk
to a minister”. Over the years I learned
that “needing to talk to a minister” could mean any one of numerous things;
someone seeking counsel on spiritual, relationship or financial matters. In my experience, most of the time strangers
came to the church ask for money.
However this situation would prove to be different.
I introduced myself and invited the gentleman into my
office. He did not respond by giving his
name. That wasn’t unusual. People seeking counsel from a minister other
than their own usually want to remain anonymous. I asked how I could help and he responded
with this question, “If a person commits
a terrible sin just before dying will they still go to Heaven?". This immediately got my attention as it was
August 12; the morning after the comedian, Robin Williams, had committed
suicide. I knew the real question was; “If I kill myself will I go to Hell?” This man was contemplating suicide.
I have studied, taught and shared this misunderstood query
over the years. People have asked if
their loved one, who took their own life, also lost their way to Heaven with
the act of suicide. The correct
theological answer is NO! The last act a person commits, no matter how
sinful, does not determine one’s eternal destiny. That is determined by a person’s faith
relationship with Jesus. But this was
not the time to discuss theological technicalities. I needed to keep this man from harming
himself.
When a person indicates that they are contemplating suicide
every counselor obviously seeks gently to guide the person away from such
action. I told him I would answer his
question but first I asked him to tell me a little about what was going on in
his life. This man was not really seeking
a lesson in theology. He needed someone
to give him hope. I listened and then we
began looking at reasons to have hope and move past the discouragement and despair
of the moment. He never told me his name
but thanked me for helping him and we prayed before he departed. I prayed again after he left. I tried my best to give him the help he
needed to keep from harming himself but since he wanted to remain anonymous and
I knew I had no way to check up on him. So,
I prayed him into God’s care and had to leave it there.
I always enjoyed walking around the sanctuary before the
worship service started, speaking to members and greeting visitors. Several months after the encounter described
above I noticed a lady sitting on the end of the pew next to the isle. I had never seen her before and began to
approach and welcome her when I noticed the gentleman sitting next to her. I knew I still needed to honor his desire for
anonymity so I greeted him and his wife as if I had never met either of them
before. As I welcomed them to our church
she reached out her hand and as I extended mine (mother taught me that a gentleman always waits for a lady to extend
her hand first) she held my hand gently and looked at me with a knowing
smile of gratitude and said, “Thank you so much for everything!” Without any other words the three of us silently
rejoiced in hope that had been found and restored.
We are living in some stressful and uncertain times. I often tell people that life on this planet
is always uncertain and the only thing that is really certain is the reality of
uncertainty. We just don’t realize it
unless there is a sudden reminder, such as the current pandemic or an
unexpected phone call with bad news or a medical exam that did not give a
positive response. In those times we are
smacked in the face with the reality that the future is uncertain. Rather than becoming discouraged or hopeless
we must seek to do as my anonymous friend and I did in my office that Tuesday
morning several years ago. Instead of
looking into a black hole of gloom and hopelessness we must always seek reasons
for life and hope.
I am re-reading ‘Man’s
Search for Meaning’, Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl's memoir and descriptions
of life in Nazi death camps and its lessons for spiritual survival. Frankl speaks of the importance of finding a
reason to live no matter how difficult and discouraging life can become, and I don’t
think too many of us can even truly imagine the horrors of being a prisoner in
a Nazi death camp. Friedrich Nietzsche,
long before those horrors, spoke of the importance of overcoming negative and
discouraging situations by having a reason to live; “He who has a why to live for can
bear almost any how.”
Again, I know we are living with much uncertainty
today. However, there is not better ‘why
to live for’ than Easter gives us.
There is no better hope than that given by the bodily resurrection of
Jesus. That power to restore life to a
cold dead body is still available to restore hope and give a reason to live
abundantly no matter what the circumstance may be. This is why the Apostle Paul wrote the
following while unjustly imprisoned; “I have learned to be content whatever the
circumstances. I know what it is to be
in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of
being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether
living in plenty or in want. I can do
all this through him who gives me strength.”
(Philippians 4:11-13)
I have to admit that I was never as inspired or as eloquent
as the Apostle but I have been fond of telling people that; “We need to remember that we are the people of
the resurrection! We are the people of
the empty tomb. I recently checked and
all the founders of major religions such as Mohammed, Siddhārtha Gautama
(better known as Buddha), Confucius, Joseph Smith, etc. are all still dead. Only one has an empty tomb. Jesus is the only one in history who actually
borrowed a tomb. He only needed it for
the weekend. When we look to Jesus and
place faith in Him there is eternal hope and reason to live abundantly.
Now I can live with that!
