It is odd how one moment carries such a lasting impact. Many can still remember what they were doing the very moment they heard that John F. Kennedy had been shot. I remember listening to the news that Robert Kennedy had won the California primary only to be shot an hour later. Others can remember vividly what they were doing when the news that the Challenger and Columbia exploded in mid-flight. No one can forget the moment they heard that terrorists had rammed commercial jets into the Pentagon and the World Trade Center.
Who can forget President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s line, “Yesterday, December 7th, a date which will live in infamy?” Who can forget the horrors at Columbine and Virginia Tech?
Some moments change us forever. Presidents no longer travel in opened convertibles. Space shuttles are no longer allowed to launch in freezing weather. Homeland Security has become a powerful tool of the government.
The common element between these memorable events is the shock and pain inflicted. Anguish carves an indelible place in our memories. Warm memories fade over time, but not painful ones. Warm memories bless us. Painful memories change us.
As a young boy Robert watched his family’s home burn to the ground. Decades later Robert would speak hours upon end regarding fire safety. He would never hesitate to lecture a friend upon any lack fire extinguishers in the home. He became involved in his community as a volunteer fireman. The horror of smoldering ashes in his youth influenced his thinking forever.
Not all life changing experiences, however, are products of horror. A woman’s journey to Jacob’s Well brought her to Christ. Rejected by many in her city, she found hope for a new life in the words she heard. In a moment she was transformed from an outcast to handmaiden of the Lord.
The moments that influence us are those that reveal to us our frailty and complete dependence upon God. Moments which influences are those that demand a change in our thinking and in our actions. We are not self-sufficient, nor are we impervious to the challenges of life.
For some it requires the jolt of a policeman’s knock upon the door, or the chilling words of a physician to remind us of our need of Christ. Like Paul they must be blinded before they can truly see. For others the hearing the words of Christ in our everyday tasks transforms us.
Whether by a horrific jolt or by the kindness at Jacob’s Well, the moment you meet Christ will forever influence your life.
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