Just Before
I have been privileged to meet lots of celebrated and influential people, as well as many who have been born into a more privileged part of society on varying levels. Some have the right amount of money in their bank account, some are of the right lineage, others have the right skin color to ensure a much less stressful passage through this life, and the list of privileges goes on. Many of these people feel that they really have no moment-by-moment need of Jesus, and thus my invitations extended to them to get to know Jesus are brushed off politely, and sometimes not so politely. There’s a friend in particular for whom I wrote this song. A very “good” person, better than many you’ll find in the church. Still, the only way to God the Father is through Jesus the Son, and no matter how nonchalant we can all get about spiritual matters, each one of us has to make a decision regarding what we will do with Jesus. No decision is as good as a decision against Him, because He won’t come into our lives uninvited.
My dear friend, whose roots automatically grant him a more favorable position in this world than I, got to know me and the society that formed me during some of the most difficult times of my life. He has been privy to many of my frustrations, and had seen me act and react to them, frequently in a very dysfunctional way. Likewise, I have kept him abreast of the positive changes along the way—I have shared with him the source of my success—a saving, affirming relationship with Jesus Christ. But, despite the radical change in my life, he remains unimpressed as it regards him. You see—our existences are so different. He’s great at what he does, the accolades abound, the affirmation for which I once longed, the recognition and respect that I valiantly fight for and demand are readily given to him, first based on his appearance, and later upon his ability. Could he stand to make it from sun-up to sundown without calling upon Jesus for help? Surely. My need for Christ is clearly apparent. The hand that life dealt me gave me no choice but to put my hands in the hand of the Divine, for my needs are super huge ones, and cannot be met by human devices. Though it may seem that my friend has it all together, I do know that we were created to worship something, and that the void that sin created in all humanity can only be filled by one sole thing: Jesus. So what, then? I wrote this song with the intention of reasoning with my friend. I respect his power of choice, and always will. However, I wish for him to make an intelligent decision to either choose or reject Jesus, but only after getting to know who Jesus truly is. Jesus will not be ignored—He can and will go to any measure necessary to reveal to anyone their need of Him. I pray that my friend will respond to the biddings of a God that has plans to prosper him and not to harm him, plans to give him hope and a future.