I’m sure by now all of you have heard about the death of the 19 month of child in Albany. Just hearing bits and pieces of this story was almost unbearable for me; which is why I had decided not to follow up on the story. However, a recent facebook post made me reconsider.
In this particular post, I saw comments that read, “I hope he burn in hell” and, “I hope they both DIE”.
First off, let me remind you of the scripture, Hebrews 9:27, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” Which basically means that we ALL shall die. Nonetheless, the child’s death came in a very disturbing and unfortunate manner. But we don’t have the authority to pass judgment on either involved person. That authority belongs to God!
We can’t say what happened because we were not there. We don’t know if either of the involved persons were dealing with mental instabilities. It’s very easy to stand on the outside & criticize the people on the inside. Let’s not get caught up in all that. The Lord has placed investigators, judges, and whoever else in their respective authoritative positions for a REASON. He’s a just God. He’s not a respecter of persons. This could have happened to any one of us. Instead of passing judgment and hoping for the worst for the responsible parties, how about doing the only thing that matters, PRAYING!
Romans 12:13-15 says, “Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” We shouldn’t be cursing these people by wishing that they die & burn in hell. We should be praying for them & mourning with the victim’s family. I’m sure the family is in need of something right now. A kind word, support, food for the repast (y’all know how we do it), whatever it is that they’re in need of we CHRISTIANS should be practicing hospitality by opening our wallets & pitching in.
As the old cliché goes, “Ain’t no use in crying over spilled milk.” What’s done is done and we can’t do anything to change the past. But instead, what we can do is turn this negative situation into a positive one. Let’s not allow this child’s diminutive life to be in vain. Get out and educate your community on child abuse. Let’s, at all costs, prevent this from occurring again.
In closing I’d like to remind you that cursing the responsible parties is a complete waste of time. By doing this, you’ve done absolutely nothing. Do something positive with your energy. Put a smile on someone’s face. :) Pray for the child’s family. Pray for the people responsible. Pray for their families as well. Send a card. Send a flower. Do SOMETHING to make a POSITIVE impact on this negative situation!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Saturday, March 5, 2011
My Obituary & The Sneaky Facebooker
Someone “just-so-happened” to find an obituary that I wrote. Now I’m not exactly sure who discovered it. But if my assumptions are correct, this person was supposedly on “facebook” when really, they were peeping through my files. A few of my friends have seen it and some say I’m crazy. However, I just feel as if I’m tad bit more prepared than others.
Many of you already know my father’s parents own a funeral home. I’ve been assisting them for several years. In doing so, I’ve become somewhat acquainted with the “planning” process. For family members, dealing with the fact that a loved one has passed on is hard enough. Planning the funeral only adds “fire to the flame”. I’ve seen some very unpleasant situations occur within the time someone dies to the day of the funeral. I’ve seen people curse, argue, and even fight all resulting from minor disagreements during the planning of a funeral. Seeing this made me think.
One day in class I was asked to do a life planning exercise. In this exercise, we were to, in the most creative way possible, specifically list our life goals. This included everything from family goals to academic goals to goals in politics and any other area in our lives. Since I was already thinking and I knew no one else would do it, I very creatively designed my own obituary.
This started off as an “Easy A” project. However, after turning it in & receiving the A that I had planned for, I didn’t delete it. All work that I turn it usually doesn’t get deleted until after I receive a grade. If it’s a big project/paper, it may not get deleted until the end of the semester. For some odd reason, I never deleted it, not even at the end of that semester.
A few months later, I was robbed at gunpoint by two ruthless young men in Albany, GA. I was not at all afraid. But I did think that I was about to die. As I thought about me dying, I realized that I had an obituary. I thought to myself, “At least they’ll know what to do.”
After that horrendous incident, I took a look at the obituary I had created. I then realized that they actually wouldn’t have known anything. The obituary I had created was full of the things I hope to achieve during the course of my lifetime. It was an imitation. I did not have a real obituary. Had I been killed, my family would’ve had to endure the trials of the planning process just like any other family.
This was my cue to change. I gradually changed it from a very specific “goals achieved” checklist to a very specific, downright REAL obituary, complete with a program & even instructions on about what I should have on & what casket I should be in. So when my time comes, all they’ll have to do is call the funeral director & he will take care of the rest!
Some folks might say I’m crazy. I just like to think I’m helping my family out. Thinking that my “’business’ was fixed” actually comforted me in what I thought was my dying hour. I know that creating an obituary for yourself isn’t what is meant when the bible says “get your house in order” but it’s good to know that you’ve made your wished known. When your time comes will your family know what to do? Or will they have to fuss & fight their way through trying to plan according to the things they THINK you would like?
Many of you already know my father’s parents own a funeral home. I’ve been assisting them for several years. In doing so, I’ve become somewhat acquainted with the “planning” process. For family members, dealing with the fact that a loved one has passed on is hard enough. Planning the funeral only adds “fire to the flame”. I’ve seen some very unpleasant situations occur within the time someone dies to the day of the funeral. I’ve seen people curse, argue, and even fight all resulting from minor disagreements during the planning of a funeral. Seeing this made me think.
One day in class I was asked to do a life planning exercise. In this exercise, we were to, in the most creative way possible, specifically list our life goals. This included everything from family goals to academic goals to goals in politics and any other area in our lives. Since I was already thinking and I knew no one else would do it, I very creatively designed my own obituary.
This started off as an “Easy A” project. However, after turning it in & receiving the A that I had planned for, I didn’t delete it. All work that I turn it usually doesn’t get deleted until after I receive a grade. If it’s a big project/paper, it may not get deleted until the end of the semester. For some odd reason, I never deleted it, not even at the end of that semester.
A few months later, I was robbed at gunpoint by two ruthless young men in Albany, GA. I was not at all afraid. But I did think that I was about to die. As I thought about me dying, I realized that I had an obituary. I thought to myself, “At least they’ll know what to do.”
After that horrendous incident, I took a look at the obituary I had created. I then realized that they actually wouldn’t have known anything. The obituary I had created was full of the things I hope to achieve during the course of my lifetime. It was an imitation. I did not have a real obituary. Had I been killed, my family would’ve had to endure the trials of the planning process just like any other family.
This was my cue to change. I gradually changed it from a very specific “goals achieved” checklist to a very specific, downright REAL obituary, complete with a program & even instructions on about what I should have on & what casket I should be in. So when my time comes, all they’ll have to do is call the funeral director & he will take care of the rest!
Some folks might say I’m crazy. I just like to think I’m helping my family out. Thinking that my “’business’ was fixed” actually comforted me in what I thought was my dying hour. I know that creating an obituary for yourself isn’t what is meant when the bible says “get your house in order” but it’s good to know that you’ve made your wished known. When your time comes will your family know what to do? Or will they have to fuss & fight their way through trying to plan according to the things they THINK you would like?
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