Fred Phelps, leader of the Westboro "Baptist church" died Wednesday.
I feel no anger, no satisfaction, no smugness, and no joy over his death. He caused a lot of people grief and anger, and he made my job as a pastor much more difficult. By calling himself a pastor, he soured the title in the eyes of many. He caused grieving people even more pain by picketing funerals, shouting hate in the media, and berating anyone who disagreed with him. He was above all a bully.
However, I feel no anger towards him.
In his last days, he was in hospice care, lingering on the verge of death. Helpless. As I read the news stories, I found myself admiring the courage and dutifulness of the hospice nurses who cared for him. Undoubtedly they didn't like him much, yet they cared for him. That's pretty impressive to me. But back to the story . . . .
While we are on this side of heaven, we never fully know the whole story. I don't really know there is a God. Neither do you. I have FAITH that there is, but this side of heaven, I don't really KNOW. I believe in God. I have faith in God. But I don't really KNOW. No one does. That's why it's called faith.
I also don't KNOW if God's grace is bigger than my sin. I believe it is. I have faith that it is, and I've staked my whole life on it. However, I still don't KNOW. I also don't know, fully, if my understanding of God is the correct one or if Fred Phelps' understanding of God is the right one. I have faith, but I don't really know.
However, Fred Phelps does now.
Fred Phelps doesn't have faith anymore. He knows. And what he knows now, I believe, is how unbelievably wrong he was his entire life.
Fred Phelps now knows, as he is now face-to-face with God, what God meant when he said, "Pride goes before a destruction; a haughty spirit before a fall." Fred didn't die in a hail of gunfire. He died an inglorious death in a hospital bed, most likely eaten up by cancer and helpless as a newborn baby. The man who made a career out of insulting and intimidating and judging- as a healthy adult- was now helpless and immobile.
Fred Phelps now knows that his entire belief system was wrong. He now knows that he spent his entire life causing God's name to be blasphemed among the nations.
Fred Phelps now knows that his entire life's work was completely wrong. Everything he dedicated himself to, everything he believed, everything was completely wrong. He is looking back now over his life and has nothing but regret. I imagine that he is saying over and over again, "I wasted it. I wasted it. I wasted it."
Fred Phelps now understands that his legacy- what he left behind in this world- was terrible. His name will be reviled for generations. His name will never be spoken of in good terms. And that is the biggest shame of all.
Those of us on this side of heaven- we should take note. All of us die eventually. All of us will face our Maker. All of us will leave a legacy. And it is up to us whether or not that legacy is a good one.
Parents, you will leave a legacy to your children. Will your legacy be brokenness and dysfunction? Will your children sum up your entire life with the word, "Selfish?" Or will your children praise your name as someone who lived with integrity and love?
Husbands and wives, you will leave a legacy. You will be remembered. The question is- will you be remembered with the disdain that people remember Fred Phelps? You may not be picketing funerals, but are you a loving spouse? Do you insult your spouse daily? Do you speak in harsh tones? Or are your words loving and gracious, full of forgiveness?
We will all leave a legacy. Christians, what will your legacy be? Will you, at the end of your life, say with tears, "I wasted it! I had the opportunities. I had the education. I had the financial resources. I had religious freedom. I had all those things, and I wasted them! I didn't hand down the legacy I wanted to hand down. I didn't do what God wanted me to do. I was not sold out to His Kingdom. I was lukewarm and distracted. I wasted it!"
Or will you hear the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant," from your Lord and Savior?
We all die. We all leave a legacy. At the passing of a man who left a terrible legacy, I am more determined than ever to not waste my time here. I am more determined than ever not to waste this one shot at life that God has given me. I am more determined than ever to live intentionally, on mission, and on target. Death comes to us all. A legacy comes to us all. It's up to us what that legacy will be- it is up to us what we leave behind us in the world.
"Only one life; 'twill soon be past. Only what's done for Christ will last."
God bless you.
I feel no anger, no satisfaction, no smugness, and no joy over his death. He caused a lot of people grief and anger, and he made my job as a pastor much more difficult. By calling himself a pastor, he soured the title in the eyes of many. He caused grieving people even more pain by picketing funerals, shouting hate in the media, and berating anyone who disagreed with him. He was above all a bully.
However, I feel no anger towards him.
In his last days, he was in hospice care, lingering on the verge of death. Helpless. As I read the news stories, I found myself admiring the courage and dutifulness of the hospice nurses who cared for him. Undoubtedly they didn't like him much, yet they cared for him. That's pretty impressive to me. But back to the story . . . .
While we are on this side of heaven, we never fully know the whole story. I don't really know there is a God. Neither do you. I have FAITH that there is, but this side of heaven, I don't really KNOW. I believe in God. I have faith in God. But I don't really KNOW. No one does. That's why it's called faith.
I also don't KNOW if God's grace is bigger than my sin. I believe it is. I have faith that it is, and I've staked my whole life on it. However, I still don't KNOW. I also don't know, fully, if my understanding of God is the correct one or if Fred Phelps' understanding of God is the right one. I have faith, but I don't really know.
However, Fred Phelps does now.
Fred Phelps doesn't have faith anymore. He knows. And what he knows now, I believe, is how unbelievably wrong he was his entire life.
Fred Phelps now knows, as he is now face-to-face with God, what God meant when he said, "Pride goes before a destruction; a haughty spirit before a fall." Fred didn't die in a hail of gunfire. He died an inglorious death in a hospital bed, most likely eaten up by cancer and helpless as a newborn baby. The man who made a career out of insulting and intimidating and judging- as a healthy adult- was now helpless and immobile.
Fred Phelps now knows that his entire belief system was wrong. He now knows that he spent his entire life causing God's name to be blasphemed among the nations.
Fred Phelps now knows that his entire life's work was completely wrong. Everything he dedicated himself to, everything he believed, everything was completely wrong. He is looking back now over his life and has nothing but regret. I imagine that he is saying over and over again, "I wasted it. I wasted it. I wasted it."
Fred Phelps now understands that his legacy- what he left behind in this world- was terrible. His name will be reviled for generations. His name will never be spoken of in good terms. And that is the biggest shame of all.
Those of us on this side of heaven- we should take note. All of us die eventually. All of us will face our Maker. All of us will leave a legacy. And it is up to us whether or not that legacy is a good one.
Parents, you will leave a legacy to your children. Will your legacy be brokenness and dysfunction? Will your children sum up your entire life with the word, "Selfish?" Or will your children praise your name as someone who lived with integrity and love?
Husbands and wives, you will leave a legacy. You will be remembered. The question is- will you be remembered with the disdain that people remember Fred Phelps? You may not be picketing funerals, but are you a loving spouse? Do you insult your spouse daily? Do you speak in harsh tones? Or are your words loving and gracious, full of forgiveness?
We will all leave a legacy. Christians, what will your legacy be? Will you, at the end of your life, say with tears, "I wasted it! I had the opportunities. I had the education. I had the financial resources. I had religious freedom. I had all those things, and I wasted them! I didn't hand down the legacy I wanted to hand down. I didn't do what God wanted me to do. I was not sold out to His Kingdom. I was lukewarm and distracted. I wasted it!"
Or will you hear the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant," from your Lord and Savior?
We all die. We all leave a legacy. At the passing of a man who left a terrible legacy, I am more determined than ever to not waste my time here. I am more determined than ever not to waste this one shot at life that God has given me. I am more determined than ever to live intentionally, on mission, and on target. Death comes to us all. A legacy comes to us all. It's up to us what that legacy will be- it is up to us what we leave behind us in the world.
"Only one life; 'twill soon be past. Only what's done for Christ will last."
God bless you.
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