I’m sure most have heard by now about the sudden death of Hollywood actor, Heath Ledger. It was a surprise to be sure and a sorrow. A life lost is sad for the world. A soul lost is heart breaking for the Christian.
What’s sadder still is the number of Christians who will be indifferent and, more so, that it takes the death of someone famous to turn a head. How many people die in the streets of India daily without anyone to notice? Three thousand children die of malaria in Africa every day and no one blinks. It is a tragedy to be sure.
Why is there evidently greater concern for the death of an actor than a homeless person? The value of a life is equal isn’t it? Or is one soul more costly than another? Maybe that isn’t the issue. Perhaps the issue is the publicity. But it should make us think, shouldn’t it? If we can overlook something as important as the life of a human being, how many other things do we overlook on a daily basis? Where do we place value and why?
Let’s change the picture a little bit. Let’s say the comparison is between the death of a homeless person, wholly unconnected to us, and the death of Mother Theresa, who was an amazing woman and spent her life caring for those who would otherwise have remained unnoticed. Why do we weep more for the death of Mother Theresa who at least had access to the hope of the gospel but a man on the streets without hope is barely noticed let alone mourned over? I think that our priorities are a bit skewed.
As Christians we are called to be a light. Should our hearts be cold to those who are in need of that light? Heaven forbid! We need to be reminded that for us to view life apart from the lens of the Gospel is a problem. Our worldview is what shapes us. We must never lose sight of the Gospel, lest we ourselves become lost.
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