Investing in Eternity

For some reason, a message I heard probably five years ago at a Campus Crusade Christmas conference has been coming to mind over and over lately. The speaker was Roger Hershey, and I have never forgotten the things he said. Since I couldn't find my notes from this message, I went in search on the internet to see if I could come up with anything. What I came across were several news articles about Roger's son Brett, who died in Afghanistan last month. What struck me were the incredible things that were said about Brett after his death. Here was a man, who truly followed God. I stumbled upon a message board where there was story after story from people whose lives were touched by Brett. He was a light for Christ in high school, in college, and in the military. One of the most touching messages was from a soldier Brett served with.

To the family of Brett Hershey… I have been blessed to spend many months with your son over here in Afghanistan. He has helped me strengthen my faith, through devotions and prayer time with him. He became my accountability partner about 3 months prior to his death. I just wanted you to know that I was with him the night before he was killed. Your child was truly a child of our Lord. May praise be brought to Jesus from Brett’s life. I will truly miss Brett. May the Lord our God be with all of you. Mark Sears (Marion, IN )

How am I touching the lives of those around me for Christ? It was well known that the greatest love in Brett's life was Jesus Christ. His dad said of him, "He had a relationship with Jesus Christ, and Christ was his life. It was the power of Christ and the love of Christ that gave him direction to care about other peoples' needs." Are those the kinds of things that will be said about me after I'm gone? Unfortunately, I'm afraid not. Most of the time I'm so absorbed with my own life that I don't even notice the lives of those around me.

Isn't it strange how I can be touched so deeply by someone I never even met? Brett is still stirring hearts for Christ, even in death. By the way, the message by Roger Hershey that I was in search of was about living life in light of eternity. It's no coincidence that I stumbled upon all of this other stuff, emphasizing even more how important it is to have eternal perspective. I did find an audio message similar to the message I heard, which is worth your time if you want to hear it.

http://www.campuscrusadeforchrist.com/student2student/AudioMotivation.html