-Red-

Red.

A color most people attribute with either love, blood, death, hate, anger, etc. This week the color red is going to be worn by hundreds of people around my county in honor and memory of a boy whose life was cut short. His name was Nick. He was a senior in high school. He had three siblings and two loving parents. He also had a ton of friends and touched countless lives. Little did he know that as a result of his car accident this past Thursday morning, that this was going to change not only his family's lives but the lives of friends, teachers, and countless people who had never met him before. I did not know him personally, but through church growing up and through my family who had contact with him through junior high choir and my brother's Upward basketball team.

It's funny how in times like these, people really come together. Why can't we always come together in unity? Well, it's because of our differences. We don't always look the same, feel the same, think the same, believe the same. But over the past several days, hundreds of people have been brought together as they earnestly seek the hand of God[who at this point was unknown to many]. They held prayer vigils and raised money in a desperate attempt to beg God to save Nick's life. The money was for the life support that Nick was on that cost around 2 to 3 thousand dollars a day. Yes, a day. To add to the stress of this, he was brain dead. So that left his parents with a very difficult and painful decision. Through this all, Nick had his story being played on television stations around the Piedmont area. His life and legacy were being told as his tragic story was played for thousands to see and hear. This 18 year old boy, who had his whole future before him, was laying in a hospital bed where he had no brain activity. In one instant, his life and many other's lives were changed forever.

Red. The color of love. The color of blood. For me, as I am reflecting on my own 24 years of life I think about what this color represents to me. For me, it represents love and blood which represent sacrifice. One sacrifice to be exact. Jesus Christ's. So, the color red also symbolizes hope, faith, grace, and mercy. It also means life. Eternal life. This eternal life comes when a person realizes that they are a fallen and broken creature in need of salvation from the only one who can give it, Jesus Christ. This hope can be found for anyone who is seeking it. This hope is a saving hope. One that will change your life forever.

So Sunday, when Nick's parents made the hardest decision that they ever had to make, Nick went home. Home to Jesus. Home to his Savior. So red is the color. The color of hope and love. The love of a Savior and the hope of a future that is held in God's hands when a life is surrendered. This color symbolizes a changed life that Nick had--one that his legacy leaves behind for so many people. His story will never be forgotten. And I have faith that many lives will be changed due to his story. It is a story of forgiveness. It is a story of a real life. It is a story of love. It is a story of hope. It is a result of one of the greatest stories of all.

I know that on Thursday, when his funeral will be held, there will be tears. For those that believe, they will be tears of hope--as well as tears of sadness. I pray that for those there that do not believe--that the Holy Spirit will work and touch their hearts as Nick's family and friends remember his life through testimonies, scripture, and song.

This challenges me as I look back on my own life. What have I done to show others the love of Christ that is in me? I hope and pray that everyone that I meet and come in contact with can see that I have hope and joy. And I hope my life reflects what Christ has done for me. Because God has done great things for me. He has blessed me beyond measure. Because He died for me. He LOVES me! That in itself, is something worth living for--as well as something worth sharing with others!

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Ephesians 2:4-9