After Ground Zero

What do I mean by After Ground Zero?  Perhaps I should begin with some kind of disclaimer about the content of this writing.  But then again, there is no disclaimer at the beginning of the Bible.  It is truth from beginning to end.

I realize the title is provocative, and what follows is direct and straightforward.  My intention is to capture the attention of those who are searching for truth rather than for a message softened by sugarcoating.

The title is not referring to the point on the earth’s surface directly beneath a nuclear explosion.  Even the thought of such devastation—death and destruction on a massive scale—makes me uneasy.  It is a sobering subject.  Yet there is another subject I avoided discussing for many years because it was equally unsettling.

I once heard a saying that caught my attention: Any day is a good day when you wake up on this side of the grass.  More than once, I have heard people complain about growing older—myself included—until a friend exclaimed, “What’s wrong with you?  When you consider the alternative, growing older isn’t so bad!”

In essence, he was saying, six feet under the ground or another year older—which would you choose?  That conversation led me to interpret the phrase Ground Zero in this title as “Ground Zero—Six Feet Under.”  And after that, then what?

That is the question I want to explore.

I remember rejecting conversations whenever friends brought up death or the hereafter.  If they persisted, I could become downright unpleasant.  Such discussions reminded me of what lay ahead because I was living apart from God.  Deep down, I knew what Scripture taught about those who reject God’s Son, and it was a truth I could neither escape nor comfortably discuss.

I knew that if I continued down the path I was on, there would be no hope for me in the end.  I must admit that fear played a significant role in my resistance to talking about death before I confessed my sins and became a Christian.  From my childhood Sunday School lessons, I understood the penalty of sin.

When I accepted Jesus as my Savior, I was freed from that fear and from the warning described in Galatians 6:7-8: “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked.  A man reaps what he sows.  Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”

I knew what the final verdict would be if I waited too long to seek God’s forgiveness: “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”

When I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ, He gave me peace and joy.  As I continue to walk with Him, I am learning that God’s grace is sufficient in every circumstance and that His love is abundant, unfailing, and freely given.

For those who have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, what comes after ground zero is everlasting life in heaven.  This is our assurance.  This is our hope.

Written by,

Papa Boyd