Last night, as I was working through all my “bad day issues”, I finally crawled into bed, pulled out my tablet to read the news, my daily scripture, etc…..and there I sat in complete sadness as I read that one of my favorite actors decided that hope had escaped him and life was not worth the hassle. As a child, I grew up watching Mork & Mindy, as a young adult watched Mrs. Doubtfire on the bigscreen, as an older adult laughed while I watched Robin Williams make 100’s laugh on his stand-up specials.  He truly traversed my entire life on the screen of TV and movie theaters.  I loved Robin Williams.  Well, I didn’t know Robin Williams but I loved the persona that was expressed publicly by Robin Williams.

Again, as I did with the untimely death of what seems to be so many in the spotlight over the years, I realized humbly that Robin William’s eternal story, his choice, is now made.  It is sealed, his opportunity to choose has passed.  I don’t claim to know his heart.  I do not know if he believed in God and more importantly his savior or not, this post is more about the realization that what appears to be “perfect” on the outside is not always what is going on…on the inside.  

Now I didn’t have an opportunity to touch or encourage Robin, I am sure his closest friends did the best they could…but I do have the opportunity and the RESPONSIBILITY to talk to, encourage, and offer the HOPE I know to be true to those I do come in contact with everyday.  If only for 5 seconds at the check out counter or those I have known for years.

You see, what if, no one ever shared the Gospel with Robin?  What if, his friends went by day to day and NEVER had the courage to share something that may have given him HOPE and he COULD have persevered over whatever was the straw hanging over the camel’s back?  As Christians, we are given the great commission to go out and share the Gospel, “the Good News”, not so that we can “win” people over to our team and steal from another’s team but so that those we share it with are TRANSFORMED by the love of Christ as we were!  There is HOPE and RELEASE in the power of accepting Christ as your Savior.  Believe me, it changed me in 2011.  My life was forever changed, immediately.

If your eyes have been opened why wouldn’t you want to share this incredible news with friends, coworkers, family members, strangers?  Trust me, it isn’t always the most socially acceptable position in society to discuss matters of God and spirituality.  It is uncomfortable because we think, what if they think we are weird or if they become offended?  Trust me, the truths of God offends people because we are not doing what we are supposed to be doing and somewhere deep within us we know it!  Even after we are Christians we constantly go through this back and forth.  HA!  

So, as we are going through our day, in our safe little Christian bubble, let us think about those whom God loves just as much as He loved us.  He is pursuing them, just as strongly and just as anxiously as he pursued us.  Yes, the person shooting up, the person snorting, the person cheating on his/her spouse, the alcoholic, the child/spouse abuser….all of these people,

Unfortunately, we Christians see the SIN before the BROKEN child of God so many times

The worst of the worst can be transformed by the love of Jesus.  Their lives can be changed and be a testimony of the Glory of God.  It is not our burden or responsibility to change them, that is the Holy Spirit’s job. Loving them, showing they are valued by our actions and words, turning them towards Jesus by the words of our testimony – personal touches of God’s precious goodness and grace – That is our burden and our responsibility.…. If everyone in the world held God’s greatest commandment as the center of their lives, how different our Earth community would be.  There would be no murder…..because we love our brother/sister, there would be no abuse, rape, stealing….because we love our brother/sister, there would be no sex trafficing, drug abuse (no one would sell it)……because we love our brother/sister…..there would be no “enter any tragedy or ailment” here against mankind and it would not be if 100% of God’s creation loved our brothers/sisters.  

So let’s be a remnant….let’s wake up and do what God asked us to do.

Wake up church, our hurting world needs the truth of God’s grace and mercy.

Jesus replied: “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”