We Don't Have Time.

 There are 5 stages of grief. We go through this as a response to loss, especially death. 

1. Denial "This can't be real."
2. Bargain "Please, there must be something you can do." 
3. Anger "This is your fault!"
   
4. Depression "All I want to do is sleep so I don't feel."
5. Acceptance "I'm broken, but life goes on."

Is your heart tired this year? Chances are that you've ran through that cycle multiple times. Many of us are running through it simultaneously. Some of it is overlapping. You may have started to Accept (5) that Covid19 is here to stay and this is the new way of life. But you're Depressed (4) because you lost someone this past year. You're Bargaining (2) with your boss so you won't get laid off. 

Right in the middle of all that, we hear about the shooting in Atlanta. Where are you in the stage of grief? God calls His people to "mourn with those who mourn." Or in the ESV, "weep with those who weep" (Romans 12:15). It is an image of unbearable pain and the deepest of sorrows. Sit with your friends, family, neighbors, and with one another as we grieve the tragedy in our city. 

But, may these tragedies cause a greater urgency in you. 

6 “Seek the Lord while he may be found;

    call upon him while he is near;

7 let the wicked forsake his way,

    and the unrighteous man his thoughts;

let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him,

    and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

- Isaiah 55:6-7

This has been such a tough news to grasp because every Asian is thinking, "That could have been my mom/aunt/sister." With crimes against Asian-Americans on the rise since the pandemic, let me ask the question your heart fears most: "Who says that you/your mom/ your aunt/ your daughter won't be next?"

It is a lethal mistake to think that we have time. My unbelieving relatives have told me, "I'll accept Christ when I'm old on my death bed." This past year has shown us that this is a grave assumption as no one knows when or how Death comes. 

Seek the Lord while He may be found and call upon Him while He is near because a time is coming where He cannot be found; a time where He is no longer near! I tremble as I type this-- the eternal fate is forever sealed for the 8 who were shot and killed! Oh, how I hope dearly that they saved! Did anyone warn them that there is a Second Death after this one?? Did anyone tell them of the free gift of Eternal Life in Christ Jesus?!

I hope this is alarming to you. If you're not yet a believer or you identify as "Christian" only by name, the invitation is here. Forsake your way and return to the Lord who will have compassion and pardon you. Hurry-- do it while He is near and may be found.  

Then quickly go and tell your friends and relatives while you-- while they--  still have time. Pray fervently, because you're in a race against Death and he's ahead. 

Dear Christian, I pray for your tired and grieving heart. I pray that God grants you the strength to get back up and carry the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a dying world.