Grace on a Thursday: terrorists and such

My brain is always connecting dots. I'm always analyzing life and people and truth, often without even being aware I'm doing it. But sometimes I sense an internal resistance to lay my thoughts against what the Bible says. Sometimes I don't want to connect my life with what God says because I'm afraid of what I'll find along that line (because let's face it, the Bible says some pretty extreme stuff). Which makes me force myself to do it.

This week, in light of the recent victories in the War on Terror, I've felt that resistance. I've wanted to package up the death of Osama Bin Laden into a box labeled "justice." I've wanted room to feel prideful and superior to those "kinds" of people. But instead, I've forced myself to look at things from different angles. I've been asking myself how grace comes into the picture. What is God thinking about all this?

Now, there are two things to consider before I go on. One is that we live in a great country, one served by thousands of men and women much braver than myself who literally lay their lives on the line for my safety. They are heroes and they are to be honored. I know the United States has achieved some significant military goals this week, but beyond that, I know very little of what those men and women endure for our sake. I can simply be grateful.

But secondly, we are dealing with more than military initiatives, here. We are speaking of people, human souls. The facts I resist staring hard into are that God himself knit Osama Bin Laden together in his mother's womb, just like He did my own son. God saw his unformed body; He knew what each of his days would hold before even one of them came to pass (Psalm 139: 13, 15-16). My guess is that upon his death, Bin Laden was not a repentant man. I'm assuming he refused to surrender, not only to the U.S., but to the Lord Almighty. That's sad.

A lot of people on earth died that same day. Grandmothers, people in car accidents and hospitals, firemen, soldiers, and terrorists. The truth is God was grieved by the death of each person who never chose to surrender his or her life to Him. He was grieved for each of his created ones who would now be eternally lost.

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 
2 Peter 3:9

Osama Bin Laden chose to remain on the throne of his life, and truly He ruled in evil and terror. It's too late for him to find grace. But it's not too late for me to humbly examine my own willingness to surrender my life to the Lord's leading. Thank God, I'm able to walk in grace this Thursday knowing that I'll never get what I deserve for my sin, and that God does such a better job running my life than I do. I'm so thankful.

{And justice...that's a whole 'nother post. If you want to hear my thoughts, once I wrote about that here.}