The Decision

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The day is over, you are driving home. You tune in
your radio. You hear a little blurb about a little village in India
where some villagers have died suddenly, strangely, of a flu that
has never been seen before.
It's not influenza, but three of three people are dead, and it's
kind of interesting, and they're sending some doctors over there
to investigate it.
You don't think much about it, but on Sunday, coming
home from church, you hear another radio spot. Only they say it's
not three villagers, it's
30,000 villagers in the back hills of this particular area of
India, and it's on TV that night. CNN runs a little blurb; people
are heading there from the disease center in Atlanta because this
disease strain has never
been seen before.
By Monday morning when you get up, it's the lead
story. For it's not just India; it's Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran,
and before you know it, you're hearing this story everywhere and
they have coined it now as "the mystery flu." The President has made
some comment that he and everyone are praying and hoping that all
will go well over there. But everyone is wondering - how are we going
to contain it. That's when the President of France makes an announcement
that shocks Europe. He is closing their borders. No flights
from India, Pakistan, or any of the countries where this thing
has been seen. And that's why that night you are watching a little bit
of CNN before going to bed. Your jaw hits your chest when a weeping
woman is translated from a French news program into English: There's
a man lying in a hospital in Paris dying of
the mystery flu. It has come to Europe. Panic strikes.
As best they can tell, once you get it, you have
it for a week before you know it Then you have four days of unbelievable
symptoms. And then you die.
Britain closes it's borders, but it's too late. South Hampton,
Liverpool, North Hampton, and it's Tuesday morning when the President
of the United States makes the following announcement: "Due to a
national security risk, all flights to and from Europe and Asia have
been canceled. If your loved ones are overseas, I'm sorry.
They cannot come back until we find a cure
for this thing."
Within four days our nation has been plunged into
an unbelievable fear.People are selling little masks for your face. People
are talking about "What if it comes to this country," and preachers
on Tuesday are saying,
"it's the scourge of God." It's Wednesday night and you are at
a church prayer meeting when somebody runs in from the parking lot
and says, "Turn on a radio, turn on a radio." And while the church
listens to a little
transistor radio with a microphone stuck up to it, the announcement
is made.
Two women are lying in a Long Island hospital dying
from the mystery flu. Within hours it seems, this thing just sweeps
across the country. People are
working around the clock trying to find an antidote. Nothing
is working. California. Oregon. Arizona. Florida. Massachusetts.
It's as though it's
just sweeping in from the borders. And then, all of a sudden
the news comes out. The code has been broken. A cure can be found.
A vaccine can be made.
It's going to take the blood of somebody who hasn't been infected,
and so, sure enough, all through the Midwest, through all those channels
of emergency broadcasting, everyone is asked to do one simple thing:
Go to your downtown hospital and have your blood type taken. That's
all we ask of you.
When you hear the sirens go off in your neighborhood, please
make your way quickly, quietly, and safely to the hospitals.
Sure enough, when you and your family get down there late on that
Friday night, there is a long line, and they've got nurses and doctors
coming out and pricking fingers and taking blood and putting labels on
it.
Your wife and your kids are out there, and they take your blood
type and they say, "Wait here in the parking lot and if we call your
name, you can be
dismissed and go home." You stand around, scared, with your neighbors,
wondering what in the world is going on and that this is the end of the
world. Suddenly a young man comes running out of the hospital screaming.
He's yelling a name and waving a clipboard. What He yells it again! And
your
son tugs on your jacket and says, "Daddy, that's me." Before
you know it, they have grabbed your boy. Wait a minute. Hold on!
And they say, "It's okay, his blood is clean. His blood is pure.
We want to make sure he doesn't have the disease. We think he has
got the right type."
Five tense minutes later, out come the doctors and nurses, crying
and hugging one another -- some are even laughing. It's the first time
you have seen anybody laugh in a week, and an old doctor walks up to you
and says, Thank you, sir. Your son's blood type is perfect. It's
clean, it is pure, and we can make the vaccine."
As the word begins to spread all across that parking lot full
of folks, people are screaming and praying and laughing and crying. But
then the gray-haired doctor pulls you and you wife aside and says,
"May we see
you for a moment We didn't realize that the donor would be a
minor and we need you to sign a consent form."
You begin to sign and then you see that the number of pints of
blood to be taken is empty. "H-h-h-how many pints"
And that is when the old doctor's smile fades and he says, "We
had no idea it would be a little child. We weren't prepared. We need it
all!"
"But -- but ... You don't understand."
"We are talking about the world here. Please sign. We -- we need
it all!"
"But can't you give him a transfusion"
"If we had clean blood we would. Can you sign Would you sign"
In numb silence, you do. Then they say, "Would you like to have
a moment with him before we begin"
Can you walk back Can you walk back to that room where he sits
on a table saying, "Daddy Mommy What's going on" Can you take his hands
and say,
"Son, your mommy and I love you, and we would never ever let
anything happen to you that didn't just have to be. Do you understand
that"
And when that old doctor comes back in and says, "I'm sorry, we've
-we've got to get started. People all over the world are dying." Can you
leave Can you walk out while he is saying, "Dad Mom - Dad Why -why have
you forsaken me"
And then next week, when they have the ceremony to honor your
son, and some folks sleep through it, and some folks don't even come because
they go to the lake, and some folks come with a pretentious smile
and just pretend to care. Would you want to jump up and say, "MY
SON DIED! DON'T YOU CARE"
Is that what GOD wants to say "MY SON DIED! DON'T YOU KNOW HOW
MUCH I CARE"
"Father, seeing it from your eyes breaks our hearts. Maybe now
we can begin to comprehend the great Love you have for us."
For God so Love the world that he sent his only son...
Think about it.
Pray about it.
Ask him into your heart today as Lord and Savior of your life.
A
Admit you have sinned. The
Bible says all have sinned
(Romans 3:23, for all have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God.)
B
Believe Jesus is God's Son.
He took the punishment
for your sins on Himself by
dying on the Cross
(Romans 5:8, But God
demonstrates his own love
for us in this: While we were
still sinners,
Christ died for us.) You
must believe that He is God
and that He died to offer you
forgiveness.
(Acts 10:43, All the prophets
testify about him
that everyone who believes in
him receives
forgiveness of sins through
his name.")
C
Confess your sins. You must
be truly sorry for your sins,
forsake (stop) them, and ask
Jesus to forgive you.
(Acts 3:19, Repent, then, and
turn to God, so that your sins may be
wiped out, that times of
refreshing may come from the Lord,)
I sincerely hope that one day
you and I will meet again,
in Heaven.
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