A Deep Mark

Some people leave their mark on the world, some people leave their mark on the hearts of a few other people. Aunt Lisa left a big mark on our hearts. When I think of her, and the irreplaceable mark she left on our marriage, I will never forget her selfless encouragement. 

After a two year battle with cancer, and fifty-seven years of a rich and full life, Aunt Lisa took her last breath in this broken world and her first breath in her true home on February 12th. We mourned our loss, recognizing it was just that – our loss, not hers. It was her gain. Here’s what I mean – 

To Aunt Lisa, Jesus wasn’t just an inspirational historical figure, a set of ideas or moral principles. No, Christ was her life. Because he gave her life. Not only physical life, the same thing you and I also have, with bodies that grow old, get sick and die, but abundant and eternal spiritual life – one that was consummated on February 12th, 2020.

It’s not a question of being a good person; the standard of what makes a good person changes with the wind unless that standard is set by something outside of ourselves and our culture. Unless there is a standard that transcends humanity, there is no real standard at all.

But God, that transcendent Creator and holy standard-setter, is personal. God, in His very essence, is love. God knew that we would choose our sin and selves over Him, the One we were created to enjoy and revel in. Either our sin had to go or we had to go – sin has no place in His presence.

But wait, didn’t I just say God is love? If that’s true, why can’t He just overlook our sin?

Think of it like this – if you murder someone and are standing in the courtroom in front of the judge with either the death penalty or a $600 million fine over your head, would it be right, would it be just, would it be good of the judge to say “Yes, I know you made a bad choice, but that doesn’t make you a bad person. I’m going to let this one slide.” No, that would be ridiculous – the law is the law and any good judge will judge by the law.

But what if the judge saw that someone had paid your fine? All charges against you would be dropped and you would be free!

That’s why Jesus came – not to be a good teacher or a good moral example or even to heal a bunch of sick people. He came to live the life we can’t and die the death we deserve. When he was hanging up there on the cross, all of our sin – yours, mine and all the world’s – was placed onto his shoulders and into the grave with him!

Imagine you’re in that courtroom again. There you are, guilty before the judge, doomed to death row if you don’t pay the impossible fine. Then the judge tells you that somebody you don’t even know paid your fine in full. Do you scoff and opt for death row instead, because you’d rather do things on your own terms whatever the cost? Or do you try to rationalize to the judge that you were unfairly convicted, the crime you committed wasn’t as big a deal as he was making it out to be anyway? That you aren’t convinced that he even exists in the first place, so your alleged crime is of no consequence?

Good deeds and good”ness” will follow as a result of Jesus in you, but good deeds are worthless if you’re still on death row. I urge you to accept the gift of the One who paid your fine!

This isn’t a complete tangent – Aunt Lisa had the exact same desire, and lived a marvelous life that radiated Christ’s love to everyone who had the privilege of interacting with her. Listen for yourself to this beautiful woman’s beautiful words. Her mark on this world will not be forgotten, it was made deep in the hearts of those she loved!