MatthewWuertz

            I watched a wonderful movie titled “End of the Spear” that was based on the true story of Christian missionaries serving in Ecuador. Five of the missionaries were speared to death by the Waodani tribe. Two years later, the wife and sister of two of the slain men returned to Ecuador to live with the Waodanis, forgiving those who had murdered their loved ones.

            The movie made me wonder what a missionary would look like in a fantasy world. Timothy started out as more of an ideal missionary in my mind, but that didn’t seem realistic. I realized that he needed doubts, to the point that he questioned his very purpose as a missionary. In a way, he represents my struggles in writing; I sometimes wonder if I’m actually serving God when I write, especially when I receive one rejection after another.

            For my protagonist, I needed someone whose ideas hadn’t hardened yet, a boy who could consider possibilities beyond the beliefs of his family. Imanu’s precocious behavior and sly wit made him a good counterpart to Timothy, and I enjoyed letting the dialog just happen between them.

            One of the strongest points of the story is that Timothy cares enough for Imanu to die in his place. There aren’t very many people I would die for, but there is one person had enough compassion to die for everyone.

            We’ve all done something wrong in our lives, and ultimately all of our wrongdoings are against God. The crimes are so great (no matter how insignificant we think of them when comparing ourselves to others) that we cannot make amends, and the penalty is hell, an eternal separation from God. Rather than abandoning us to the fate we deserve, God sent His son, Jesus, to live the perfect life we could never live and then to take our punishment upon Himself. When Jesus hung on the cross, God poured His wrath upon Him for all the sins of the world.

            Each of us now has a choice. We can either receive forgiveness and follow Jesus, or we can reject Him and be apart from God forever. Perhaps you’ve never realized this free opportunity for forgiveness, this chance to change your life into a purposeful adventure that you’ve never known before. It’s not too late to answer Christ’s call.

            “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

            “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11)

            “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20)