The Fraility of Life

On Wednesday, July 2, 2008, I was at a friends house watching a DVD with him. It wasn’t just any dvd, mind you, it was documentary dvd. Oh, the joys of history…. Anyway, I have always been a firm believer that anyone can become a Christian in any set of circumstances there are. Case in point, Michael Hegstrand. He was big and tough, famous, and had money. He also had his demons. He had a great work ethic, but he liked to have a little too much fun after the job was done. As time went on, his demons grew from alcohol to drugs until it really started to affect his in ring work ethic and family life, so much so, he would show up to work drunk or high or both. Being in sports entertainment, that wasn’t good. His demons had so much control over him, he was placed as an alternate in the tag team he had been a part of for the better part of 20 years. This also helped put a strain on the friendship he had had with his partner that he had known since grade school.

Finally, the day came when he had decided he had had enough. He found the help he needed and had accepted Jesus as his saviour. Being the man he was, realizing what he had done and came out of, and saw the man he had become, he and his partner decided to stand up and show the world that he meant business when he said he was a different man. His tag team partner accepted Christ about the same time. It was only a few months after he came back to the wrestling ring that he had died. He had come clean and been clean for about a year or so, but it was ruled that he had died from heart complications from the substance abuse. He’s gone, but his legacy lives on.

After watching the dvd, I began thinking about the Columbine incident in April of ‘99, then Virginia Tech in April of ‘07. You never know when you’re going to be called out of this world, but the two questions that come to mind is, am I ready and what kind of a legacy will I leave behind? These are two questions we all must ask ourselves. We may not have the stage to affect a world of people and our deaths may not be broadcast on national television, but we do have those in the scope of our influence that are watching us. They will remember.

I remember an adage that says, ‘to the world, you may be one person. to one person, you may be the world.’ To that one person, you may be the only Jesus they see. I leave you with this question : will you be the hand that helps them cross over to the other side, or the hand that pushes them over the edge of the cliff?