Healing For the Broken

Since my last blog there have been several things that have happened. I have had numerous people want to know how to explain suicide to their kids. The big question is whether someone who commits suicide goes to heaven. Here is the short answer. It is not a sin that keeps us from heaven. It is the lack of a Savior. Jesus either pays for all of my sin or none of my sin. He does not pick through the pile. There has been a great and wonderful exchange. He went to the cross and took all my sin and then gave me his righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). There is nowhere in the Bible that it says I have to be all confessed up in order to get into heaven. If that was the case then my forgiveness would be based on my sensitivity to sin and promptness of confession. So, that is the way I have been responding. On Sunday I received a call from the family of Dennis May. They asked for me to come over and lead them in a small family memorial for him. I went over and met them for the first time. They are wonderful people and their faith and love for Jesus filled the home. I went over to try to be of some comfort and came away blessed for having been with them. Before I left the two sisters took me aside to tell me something. They wanted to tell me if I ever had the chance to talk to the family of the boy who brought the charges to tell them they bore no ill will. They were praying for the boy and his family. It was an amazing and very healing thing to do so close to the tragedy. I did not know the identity of the boy but had been praying for him since he is now the focus of some anger and confusion from other students. I went back to the church and my assistant handed me a note from a woman who dropped by to ask if she could talk to me. The note said," I am the mother of the boy who is connected with Mr. May". I called her and we met. I was able to help her I think. I got to tell her what the sisters had asked me to convey. Her eyes filled up with tears. She said something about it twice before she left. She also told me that a week ago Saturday she visited our church for the first time. I guess I am still amazed how God continues to work in the midst of the brokenness of this world. He continues to make his way deeper into my brokenness and yours. Sometimes you can see him coming and sometimes he is quiet as a mouse, but make no mistake, he comes.