Every 15 Minutes is an intense two-day program designed to caution high school
juniors and seniors against the dangers of drinking and driving. The program
name was conceived from the statistic that every fifteen minutes someone in the
United States dies in an alcohol related traffic accident. This program was
initiated at the high school which my children attend last week. It did not
only impact the high school students; however, I was really surprised by how it
impacted me.
A private meeting was called for 25 high school students and their
parents. After arriving and hearing the introductory announcements, the
parents were told that our child was chosen to become one of “the living
dead.” Our requirements for participation were to send in baby and
current pictures, fill out an obituary, write a goodbye letter to your child,
and attend the funeral service. Seriously, I glared at my son
trying to hold myself together and said, “I don’t think I can do this.”
Throughout the entire program, I definitely prayed more about the emotional
components than the actual physical participation.
Looking back on the 24 hour period, I can tell you that the most challenging
part for me was writing my son’s good bye letter. The paper had printed on the
top, “Dear _____________, every 15 minutes someone in the United States dies or
is seriously injured in an alcohol-related incident. Today your child died.”
I was restless for quite awhile before I could pick up the pen. I got up to get some coffee and t hen I
stood in the back of the room. Finally, I prayed. God did give me the words to write but He also revealed to me
many amazing insights. I realized that God is not the God of the dead,
but the living (Matthew 22:32). When we
are in Christ, we are always alive, even if physically dead. Jesus links
heaven to earth. I literally saw a
mental picture of Jesus with His arms stretched out, one hand was touching
heaven and the other was touching earth.
He was the bridge that connected the living on earth to the living in
heaven. Death had no relevance or
significance because of Jesus. The term
“living dead” had a whole new meaning.
There is hope for the
believer as Jesus’ words from John 5:24-25 came back to mind,
"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who
sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from
death to life.” Jesus fills in the great chasm. He continued to say, “I tell you the truth, a time is coming and
has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who
hear will live.” How can the dead “hear?” The answer is “with spiritual ears.” Life on earth is not just about the body but about the
Spirit. The Spirit is what lives
forever. Our Spirit’s have ears as we have a choice to respond to the call of
Jesus.
It’s ironic that in the Garden of Eden, God only asked Adam and Eve to NOT do
ONE thing, eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis
2:17). Eating from this tree brought
death. But since Jesus Christ came to earth, God NOW only asks all of us to do
ONE thing to give us eternal life.
Jesus says in John 3:18, “Whoever believes in him is not
condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has
not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.” All we have to do is
believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. It is so simple that a child can
understand God’s requirements and can respond to His call.
The program was absolutely great for many reasons. Best of all, the students clearly got the
point. We were told that since this
program has been initiated in the high schools, the average that someone dies
from an alcohol related traffic accident is now “Every 30 Minutes.” Educating our students is necessary as it is
physically saving lives. But whether we
want to face it or not, everyone will physically die some day. So, knowing Jesus is better as He literally
came to save lives for eternity.
“For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16
Tonilee Adamson
Daily Disciples Ministries