Give Honor Where Honor is Due

Some of you may think today's thoughts are kind of cruel.

Or biased.

Or both.

But sometimes I think things just need to be laid out and told like it is.

Today is one of those days.

I heard last night on the news that Rev. Billy Graham is in the hospital again.

I heard it again this morning on the news and on the radio.

And on my way to work, lost in my own thoughts, I began to think.

It is inevitable that one day, one day, we are going lose Billy Graham to Heaven.  He, just like the rest of us, will see his Saviour face to face someday.

Which got me to thinking.

~Will anyone stand guard at his casket for hours on end so that others can honor and respect him?

~Every year, on the date of his death and on the date of his birth, will there be millions of "sightings" of him, just like there are with Elvis?

~Will they permanently mark the sight of his death and turn it into a historic landmark for all to see like they did in Dallas, Texas for President Kennedy?

~How many flags will be flown at half-mast that day?

~Will we have a national and state holiday in his honor where everyone gets a day off from work and school to celebrate the change that he instilled in the lives of millions of people like we do for Martin Luther King, Jr.?

~How many days will we, as a country, spend in mourning?  I think it is close to thirty days for the Pope.  I wonder how many souls he led to Christ?

~When I turn on my television that afternoon, will it be on EVERY channel, over and over and over again.  CBS, NBC, Fox, CNN, and on and on and on. . .or will I have to tune in to the INSP channel to see what I want to see?

~Every single year, will they show footage of him and his life and the difference that he has made?  They do for the Shuttle survivors, and the 9-11 survivors, and numerous other people of celebrity status.

~Remember Princess Diana?  Were you able to see a normal television show for weeks?  It was all about her. . .her death. . .her presence. . .the way others viewed her.  Think Reverend Graham will have the same respect?

~And Michael Jackson?  Do we really even want to go there?

I could keep rattling off names, one after another, but I think you get the idea of where I am going here.

For some reason, I have this image that, when God finally calls Reverend Graham home, things will happen in exactly the same way things have always happened for him. 

Quietly.

Reverently.

Without a lot of chaos or show.

Peacefully.

And, to be honest, that is probably the way he would want it.

But, to me, it just doesn't seem right. . .

Then I think about it this way. . .

I wonder how many crowns we will see Elvis get for having millions upon millions of fans fall at his feet when he simply walked out on stage?

How many people can say, "Thanks be to Michael Jackson and his 'Thriller' video!  I am now walking streets of gold"?

I will NEVER argue the fact that Martin Luther King, Jr. had a role in our history that can be compared to no one else.  I am in awe at his persistence and the effect that he had on people everywhere that he went.  But I wonder, how many people were led to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ to go along with those newfound relationships with people of a different race?

Do you think that when the Beatles were singing "Love Me Do" they were referring to Jesus?

Just saying. . .

There are so many times that life just doesn't seem to work quite right.

Priorities are just way out of sync.

I don't know how the world will choose to remember Reverend Graham when his time comes.

But I know that he will always hold a special place in my heart, and that I want my kids to know of his legacy.  And to know of the effect that JUST ONE PERSON can have when they are truly, totally sold out for God.

I can't wait to track him down in Heaven so I can hear some of his stories. 

Just one more example of how, while we are here, and while we have the chance to influence others, we can't take our money.

Or our possessions.

But we can take our family members.

And our friends.

And our loved ones.

And people we know and care about.

If we do our part.

It is harvest time. . .are you working for God or are you laying idle waiting for the seeds to plant themselves?

Just a thought. . .