Have you ever thought about what it would feel like to be laying in a casket? How would you feel when the casket lid begins to close?
Last night I had the awesome privilege of speaking to a group of college girls. They were so young, fresh, energetic, wrinkle free and alive… or were they?
I began to tell them about my dreams as a little girl. More than anything else in the world I wanted to be a mom and wife to some drop-dead gorgeous husband. I wanted the perfect family, a family that would love each other and would make a difference in the world. However, the choices I was making were not leading me to this lifestyle.
At the age of 18 I found myself pregnant, then married, and living in a mortuary. The mortuary wasn’t exactly my dream home. Sure it was a white three-story house with a fenced in backyard. But instead of grass in the yard there were headstones; instead of being warm and charming it was like the Amityville horror house.
I began to tell the girls about the chores that were expected of Jay and me at the mortuary. Every Thursday night, while Jay was away working another job, I was required to close the mortuary down for the night. The last two duties on the list were to close the casket (with the dead body in it) and turn off the lights. I remember the first time like it was yesterday. I slowly made my way down the aisle of the chapel, knowing that at the end waited a dead person who needed to be “shut in” for the night. I took a deep breath as I approached the casket. Quietly, slowly, I closed the upper half of the casket, hoping the body within it wouldn’t suddenly open his eyes and spring back to life! Then, without taking my eyes off the casket, I reached for the lamp that illuminated the room. My fingers fumbled as they searched for the little black control. I took a deep breath and turned the switch; the room became black as a dungeon. I raced down the aisle, like an escaping prisoner. A sharp left turn at the end of the aisle and I was sprinting toward the stairs to the tower (our apartment). I leaped up the stairs, three at a time, darted through the living room and kitchen until I reached the sofa in the family room where our four-month-old daughter lay sleeping peacefully. I sat next to that sleeping baby, my heart pounding so loudly that my eardrums felt like they would explode. I waited, barely breathing, so I could hear every sound until my husband returned home at around midnight.
While speaking I noticed a beautiful young girl sitting in the front. She was fighting hard to keep the tears back. What was her story? What was impacting her?
As I ended my talk I told the girls about the greatness of God. I shared how He had moved mountains in my life and when I decided to obey Him instead of living my life according to the ways of the world that God transformed Jay and I physically, spiritually, emotionally, and financially.
I then brought the girls back to the memories of the mortuary. I asked them, “Do you remember how I would close the dead person in for the night? How I feared that the dead person might open his eyes and come back to life?” I said, “You were probably thinking, that’s scary, I would never live in a mortuary. But the truth of the matter is that according to the apostle Paul, you either are or have lived in the mortuary. You are dead in your sins because you have followed the ways of the prince of this world (Satan) (Eph. 2). “Girls, Satan’s biggest fear is that you will receive “True Love’s Kiss” from the “Prince of Peace” (Jesus Christ) and your eyes will be opened and you will learn God’s ways and obey Him and live your life full of blessings and not curses. Is there anyone in here that wants their eyes opened and live like God intends for you to live? Who wants to scare the hebe gebies out of Satan? Who wants Jesus?” I said.
No longer could the girl in the front row hold her tears back. Jesus was wrapping His loving arms around her and drawing her to Himself. It’s as if He was saying to her, “May I kiss you, may I love you?” This young single mom melted into His arms.
“Yes, Jesus, yes!” I said. Thank you God for allowing another person the option to leave the mortuary tonight.
Some of us have been kissed, we know Jesus, but we’ve never left the mortuary. We’ve never resolved in our hearts to walk with him therefore we just waste our lives lying in the coffin in our inactive outfit. What lies are you falling for? What’s holding you back from living…I mean truly living? Hurry, it’s closing time … open your eyes and scare the living snot out of the enemy… start living your life with the intention of bringing God glory.
