Dead Woman Walking

“Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” ~ Jesus, Matthew 10:19

In light of the recent terrorist attack on the plane going to Detroit, Michigan, I have begun to ponder the meaning of dedication and what it means to be sold out for Jesus. According to the dictionary, to be dedicated is to be “wholly committed to something, as to an ideal, political cause, or personal goal” and to be “set apart or reserved for a specific use or purpose.”

Why are terrorists so dangerous? They are completely dedicated to their cause. They believe, however misguided, that their sole purpose in this life is to die to advance the beliefs they hold and kill those around them to take out any belief that counters their own. In effect, these people are “dead men (or women) walking” at all times. At any moment, they are willing to lay down their lives, behaving recklessly because they are dead already, and have nothing else to live for.

Jesus asks His followers to have a similar mindset, but to approach those around us in the opposite spirit. Instead of hate and fear for what others believe, we are to stand in the face of opposition and meet it head-on with LOVE. It is a radical call and it requires a complete death to the idea of self-preservation. We are called to be Dead Men and Women Walking – people who are so passionate, so dedicated to Jesus that they are dead to fear and others’ opinions and expectations; yet brimming over with the life of Christ. What would it look like if I was a Dead Woman Walking? How would I behave? How would I interact with the world around me?

The other night in Spain, I went for a walk with my boyfriend, Joel, with the purpose of speaking to those around us and being the voice of Jesus to them. We saw a woman standing on the street and I greeted her, but I did not enter into a deeper conversation. We saw some teenagers laughing and teasing each other by the train, but I did not approach them. What held me back? Not a language barrier – I speak Spanish. Nope, it was my fear – fear of what they would think of me if I started speaking about Jesus, fear of rejection by them, maybe even fear of what Joel would think if I “failed.” I am so tired of feeling controlled by fear! Jesus declares, “He whom the Son sets free is free indeed” (John 8:32). I claim that freedom over my life, but then I have to admit death to myself and the things of this world that hold me back from truly living for the unseen.

In the movie “Dead Man Walking,” there is a scene just before the execution of Sean Penn’s character where he says in great boldness, “I’ll be done with all this. No more bars! No more cells! No more life in a cage! Miss Helen, I’m gonna die. God knows the truth about me. I’m goin’ to a better place. I’m not worried about nuthin’.” Even in the midst of his physical shackles and chains as he is being dragged to the execution room, he knows that this life does not have a hold on him as he looks to the unseen of God. He has freedom in who God knows him to be – as a son set apart from the physical world and its labels of his crimes.

We have all been given the freedom to walk as sons and daughters of the Living God, set apart with the great purpose of bringing life to others as we live out our physical lives for the glory of God!

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News.” ~ Paul, 2 Timothy 1:7- 8