Security in Christ

This morning as I was buckling Kaylyn in her car seat, I remembered this sweet lady that we met for a brief moment at Round Top this passed October. We were prancing around her antique booth when she stopped us dead in our tracks.

She gently put her hand on my arm and asked me a question with the most sincere yet panic-stricken look on her face. There was a sense of urgency in her voice. She acted as if she was on a quest.

"Do you have a 5-point harness car seat for you oldest daughter?" she asked as she glanced at our blonde beauty.

"Yes, we do," I said. I thought the question was a bit odd, but I could tell that it was a big deal to this lady.

"Good. Because- I don't know if you have heard about this- there was an awful accident in Houston a while back and a little boy about the age of your daughter was killed because he wasn't wearing a 5-point harness car seat. His parents thought they were doing the right thing by having in him a car seat. They just didn't know it wasn't the safest one for him."

We talked with this gem of a lady for a few moments and Jason and I assured her that our car seats were safe. I mean, he is a fireman after all. We thanked her for her concern and bid her farewell.

Her final words to us were,"I'm trying to warn everyone I see out here with children in car seats about this. I just can't imagine loosing a child to something like that."

You could tell she had a loving heart. She acted as if she wouldn't rest until her quest were through.

I'm not making this story up. This actually happened. And for some reason, this story crept back into my memory today as we were loading up in the car. I sat and thought about it for a moment.

How many times do I warn people of things like this?

Don't use Teflon cookware or it will kill you.

Don't use deodorant with aluminum in it or it will kill you.

Don't eat mango skins or they will kill you (not really, but it is a very high allergen- thanks honey:).

Don't drink soy milk. It has estrogen in it and will cause you to grow boobs if you are a dude or start puberty at 6 if you are a girl and are also 6 (exaggeration intended).

The list goes on for me. Although I mean well, and so do others when things of this sort come up in conversation, they matter really little in the grand scheme of things.

I'm so willing to warn people of the dangers of all of this earthly stuff that will make life a little more comfortable and safer while we are here on this earth, but what about the realities of heaven and hell?

The comforts of heaven are real and the agonies of hell are real.

What about asking those who are closest to me how their walk with the Lord is going?

Is it thriving and growing?

Is there something I could be going to the Father on their behalf for?

What about those who cross my path during the daily stuff of life and their salvation?

Does it even resonate in my heart that they might be spending eternity in a place that is too awful to even comprehend?

Why is it easier to talk about the dangers of skillets, seat belts, and soy than it is to talk about Jesus? Ughhhh! Just writing that makes me sick. I hate that this is what our society has become. A bunch of scaredy cats......and of the WRONG things! I'm not advocating that we all run around scared of the Lord. But, that we fear His wrath for ourselves and for others if we aren't living a life that pleases Him.

The truth is, none of that other stuff even matters in comparison to having a love relationship with the Lord. Cooking in cast iron won't get you into heaven. Nor will wearing deodorant with aluminum in it condemn you to hell. These things matter very little to the Lord.

Sure, honoring your bodies, treating it as a temple, and offering it as a living sacrifice is an overflow of your love for Him. But, if you don't know the very one who made your body and knows every detail about you what does all of that 'other stuff' even matter?

Our society is full of warning signs to make our lives here on this earth a little safer. It seems as though everything has a warning label on it these days. Some of them even stating the obvious when it comes to warning you of dangers.

If you don't believe me, just read the warning label on a cup of coffee at McDonald's. It says 'Caution. Contents may be hot.' Really? I sure hope my cup of joe is hot. But, not too hot that I have to wait 30 minutes to drink it........because that would be wrong.

What if the tables were turned and I were going up to random people at Round Top asking them if they knew Jesus and where they were going to spend eternity? I would be labeled a loony bird or a crazy person. Maybe people who claim to know the Lord would go so far as to label me as being pocessed since our culture as 'dumbed down Christianity' and would be in shock to see someone witnessing to another in the middle of a crowded street. Whatever the case, most people would probably run far away from me and not turn back. And although I probably won't be doing this (unless led by the Spirit to do so), I wonder how many times I shy away from talking about stuff that really DOES matter.

I desire to be so connected with the Lord that I can hear Him speak to me as I go about my days. I want to be able to hear Him say 'Tell her about me' or 'Encourage him today in my name' or 'Pray for them right now'. No one comes to the Father unless they are led and guided there by Him to begin with (John 14:6). We just get the joy of being His instruments in the orchestra of life. How many times have I missed His voice because I was scared of what others might think of me?

This precious woman really believed in her heart that she had to warn well-meaning parents of the dangers of not using the right car seat. These were people who were complete strangers to her. She wasn't scared of what we thought about her. In her mind, it was the right thing to do. She had nothing to loose, but everything to gain.

I know this post contains a lot of questions. These are questions that flooded through my mind as I recalled this incident. It is funny how the Holy Spirit uses things like this to speak to me and months later for that matter. He used this seemingly insignificant story to speak to me.

Praise the Lord that He IS speaking to me. I rest in that- fully knowing that I am His child. He speaks to me. Praise the Lord!

He has placed a sense of urgency in my heart. He is speaking to me about Him wanting and needing me to care more about the eternal seat belts of my family, friends, and people I come in contact with.

Are they fastened in securely with Christ?

After all, that is what matters. The greatest warning sign I could ever speak over someone is warning them that hell is a real place.......and the fires will burn forever.

But, the GOOD NEWS is that heaven is also real. And Jesus will greet those who KNOW HIM- not KNOW OF Him- with open arms at the gates of heaven. And we will get to sing praises to His name forever and worship Him with those who said 'Yes' to the calling of His name.