2021 is past, but it will never really be behind us.
Especially for those who lost loved ones in 2021.
Those lives – fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, friends – created ripples of joy and pain, hope and despair – as they battled health conditions, grappled with the twists and turns of circumstances, and faced a global pandemic. They fought bravely.
As their loved ones now live with an ache that cannot be filled, the question remains, what is the legacy of a life?
As I was browsing the news headlines recently, I came across the story of Steve Stephens, a man who streamed live Facebook footage of him randomly shooting an elderly gentleman in Cleveland, Ohio. Steve walked up to the gentleman and said “Found me somebody to kill… this guy right here.” He proceeded to shoot the man in the head, killing him instantly.
The son of the murder victim gave an interview to a television network about how his dad was a good man who would not hesitate to give someone else the shirt off his back. During the same interview, the man’s sister was hugging him while resting her head on his chest. She managed to squeeze out a few words, saying, “I feel like my heart is gonna stop…” That was all she could repeat.
My heart broke seeing the elderly gentleman helplessly raise his hand to shield himself from the gunshot. It broke again when I saw the grief his family was going through. My eyes started to get teary and, before I knew it, I began to sob like a baby (I haven’t cried like that in years). How disgraceful it is that we have diverted so far from the original plan of the Creator. How far humanity has fallen.
This Easter season, we commemorate the sacrifice of Jesus through His death on the cross. We know He didn’t have to die. We know that as sinners, the human race could have been left to the doom we collectively chose. But through the physical anguish and crushing weight of all our sins, He proceeded to give His life for us all. He must have had the elderly gentleman who was shot in cold blood in mind when He made the choice to submit to the cross and eradicate sin once and for all. He must have had the Syrian children who were gassed in mind. He must have had victims of genocide, victims of slavery… victims of all sin in mind as He executed the plan of salvation despite feeling so separated from His Father to the extent that He cried out “Why have You forsaken Me?”
Later in the day, I came across a clip one of my friends shared on Facebook. It was a video of a group of youth singing in front of Jesus’ empty tomb. The words go “Hallelujah! You have won the victory. Death could not hold you down. You are the risen King. Seated in majesty. You are the risen King.” I began sobbing like a baby again. Because Jesus rose from the dead, we can all confidently look forward to the resurrection day when we’ll be able to say, “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthian 15:55 NLT). When we see the King enthroned in majesty, we’ll finally witness the realisation of that great and comforting prophecy which reads, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” (Revelation 21:4 NLT)
Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!
