My neighbour has had a cross behind his house for some several years now. It comes on at dusk and off at dawn.
It was turned off for the better part of a year due, I think, to one of the folks on my side of the lake complaining about it. Her words were, “Christians should keep their Christianity to themselves.” She has since moved away.
One evening, early on, I was sitting by the lake, contemplating our adventure in this life. I had the potential, more than once, of becoming a millionaire through my business activities. Things were in motion, the money was right there in front of me, and then it was all gone… twice.
Our path led through the valley of bankruptcy; into a second career, education; and across the ocean to Europe. We found ourselves in Germany, eventually involved in the life of an old, dying woman, Matilda.
I was asked to come and pray for Matilda, as her private duty nurse had become a friend of ours and suggested that Matilda was afraid to die. One afternoon I did just that, and found myself in a sterile room standing beside a hospital bed upon which was a withered, mummy looking little body with old eyes staring up at me. Through the nurse’s interpretation I spoke to Matilda. At this stage, Matilda was unable to speak, and her mouth was always open, revealing a black interior, tongue, gums and flesh.
“Matilda, my name is Nick. I am your neighbour. I’ve come to pray with you to have Jesus in your heart,” I said. And so I did. I think I held her hand. I said “Amen” and departed.
Ellie, the nurse, came to our house three days later informing me that Matilda had died. Ellie further said, “You know, in the years I have been tending to Matilda, I have never seen her smile. She smiled after you left.”
Back to that evening by the lake now. I was contemplating my “near wealthy status.” I wouldn’t have gone to Europe had my ventures proven successful. Supposing God Himself sent me to Matilda, and orchestrated my lack of success, just for Matilda? I pondered the matter. “So, how much is one soul worth then? Well, certainly more than a million dollars. Ten? A hundred? A billion…?”
Foolish thinking, I am sure, but I actually had the matter right there in front of me, so, please entertain my moment there by the lake. I now posed the question before Jesus, just envisioning the enormity of “the worth of a soul.” Of course you cannot put a dollar figure on one soul, not spending eternity in hell. Of course… there is no price. Not even for just Matilda. All the riches in all the world couldn’t account for Matilda’s eternal soul. Of course!
Then, pondering the question, “What is a single soul worth?”, the very thing you saw at the opening of this page occurred – the cross turned on. No kidding. At that moment. It lit up.
I saw it – The Cross! That’s the worth of a single soul. Jesus died for that one, lost, little soul. For Matilda.
Money? – No. God died. Wow. Wowee!
That is perspective.
