Who Are You?

Deep in the woods of Rockcastle County, away from the farms and the back roads, are two upright markers beside a pair of ground-level stones. The only one marked among the four identifies Lucinda Adams, who met her fate in the obscurity of rural Kentucky. She was preceded in death by two infant sons and a young daughter.

Lucinda passed from this world a hundred and eighteen years ago. No one alive today knew her.

The same year that Lucinda Adams was laid to rest beside the graves of her children in Kentucky, Albert Einstein received his Swiss citizenship in Zurich. Global fame was yet to come for Einstein. He still had a lot to do.

Einstein seemed to STILL have a lot to do nearly fifty-four years later when it was his turn to pass from this world. His office was photographed on that day. The picture is rich in possibilities. In a way, it’s every bit as haunting as Lucinda’s modest little graveyard.

No matter. Einstein is gone, and in a few short decades no one alive will be able to say they knew him, either.

Whether the wife of an unsuccessful subsistence farmer, or the author of astounding works of science that will occupy the brightest minds for centuries, they’re both gone from this world. So, what matters?

What matters is who they are.

Can Lucinda or Albert be called a child of God? Or, will they be called lost? Did they accept the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ? Who are they now? That’s all that matters.

Each one of us was intended by God Almighty to be in a one-on-one, personal relationship with Him. He – our creator – and we – His creation – together in a real and immediate way. We were intended to walk with Him, us calling him “Abba” He calling us “My child.”

But, we fell from God’s presence. We chose that. We turned away from Him. In that fallen state we all live, the familiar term of endearment no longer ours to hear. Whether struggling in obscurity or sailing on the winds of acclaim, without that name we are lost forever.

In this life, we have one more choice: We can accept the unimaginably profound gift of salvation offered through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He is the only answer to the breech of faith we have set between us and our creator God, the only way to ever hear our Heavenly Father call us “My child” with affection.

That gift, that answer, has been done. It’s been achieved! Finished! Jesus accomplished it all. The gift is before us always; we just have to ACCEPT it. That’s all!

You have the gift. But, you have to decide to accept it before the tide of eternity sweeps you from this life, and nobody knows when that will be.

Whether you’re busy redefining what the world knows of physics, or struggling to stay alive in a remote place, it doesn’t matter. Death will find you. And, if you haven’t accepted the gift offered by Jesus to you, your trophies or troubles won’t matter. You won’t be known as a child of God.

Choose life. Choose eternity with your Creator. Accept the free gift that’s right in front of you. Fame or obscurity in this life doesn’t matter. What matters for eternity is only this: Will you hear God call you “My child” forever in His presence?

Who are you?