Lightning Bolt Moments

One of my all time favorite movies is Sergeant York. I showed it to my history classes every year. At first they would complain because it was obviously an old film (black and white), but after a few minutes they were hooked. You have to know a little about the movie to understand the rest of this post, so let me clue you in.

Alvin York was a back woods country boy with a God fearing mother who prayed for him daily.  Alvin ignored her lifestyle and stayed drunk as much as possible. One night while walking through the woods (he was plastered again) during a thunderstorm a lightening bolt struck a tree right in front of him, missing him by inches. Alvin had enough fear of the Lord in him to realize he had just stared death in the face and been spared. That moment changed his life. From then on he went to church, studied his Bible and did his best to follow Jesus. If you want to know what else happened you will have to watch the movie or read a history book.

You don’t have to be Alvin York to experience life changing moment. I’ve known other people who have experienced this as well. They may not have seen a bolt of lightning, but something happened that opened their eyes and caused their spiritual life to turn around.

Why am I sharing this? Because you may know someone who is on the path of destruction. You may want to help, but don’t know how. You may be waiting for them to experience a “lightening bolt moment.”  Love them. Keep praying for them and never, ever give up no matter how discouraged you become.

No matter how confused or troubled a person becomes, God can heal them. The next time you see a drunk lying on a park bench or hear of someone being arrested for drugs, think about Alvin and pray those folks have a “lightening bolt moment” before it’s too late.