"Starting Over and the Gospel According to Mel Gibson."
by Eddie Medina 3-08-04
Nobody ever said that a Christian's life was gonna be easy. If our Lord,
Jesus Christ, was persecuted and spit upon during his time here on earth, should we be surprised when the road gets a little
bumpy for us?
I've been a Christian since I was five years old. During that time, I've
had my share of ups and downs, like anyone else. I rejoiced during the ups and trusted in my Saviour during the downs.
But, here lately, I've been having more than my share of downs. Now, I'm not gonna share the specifics with you (sorry
all you gossip hounds). It seems that when I'm at my lowest, that's when the Devil comes at me the hardest, determined
to break my spirit. More and more, I began to feel myself drift away from my spiritual walk with God.
A lot of that changed on Feburary 28th when I saw Mel Gibson's "The Passion of
the Christ." After seeing that movie, I felt renewed in a way I hadn't been in a long time. I left the theatre
fully reminded of what Jesus did for me and the sacrific he made. And it forced me to take a good look at my life and
the choices I've been making. I felt disgusted at myself for wasting a lot of my life not being a better witness to
others. I wanted to be bolder in my Christianity. I wanted to share the story of Jesus with others. I promised
God that I wouldn't waste any more of my time. This was my second chance to get things right. I was starting over.
I would live for Him, because He died for me.
Sure the Devil tried to kick me while I was down. The scary thing is, I almost
let him win. The important thing is, God used a movie as a wake up call to me. Who would've thought that the same
guy who played Mad Max, Martin Riggs and Maverick would be responsible for bringing the gospel to millions of people
in dark theatres everywhere. The same theatres that are responsible for taking his name in vain now proclaim his goodness.
God does work in mysterious ways.
How have you been using the time God has given you? Take a moment and really
search in your heart for the answer. Pray. Read His word.
Maybe this is your chance to start over.
