That's what he quoted as his last words to the world..."I am the master of my Fate, I am the Captain of my soul" (*see entire poem below)--and Tim McVeigh, executed on Monday morning, June 11, 2001, went to meet the ETERNAL Master of man's Fate, the ETERNAL Captain of man's soul. Preceding him were 168 lives taken in the Oklahoma City bombing, a tragedy of enormous sadness and pain.
But he's not the first...for you see, wilfulness, wanting to be "in charge," is a trait that's trailed down from the Garden of Eden into every precious baby born on Planet Earth. We're born with an Adamic nature, a need to be in control, to design our own destiny, to rule our own domain. And the scary thing of it all?
God will let us do it....for He has given every human being the power of choice. It's a priceless gift that can bless or curse...choose to curse God and His sovereign control and find yourself in a living hell; choose to bless and honor God and His sovereign control and find love, joy, peace--and eternal life!
Can it happen to Christians? You'd better believe it! Ask Jonah, servant of God, who in his own wilful disobedience to the Captain of HIS soul, found himself in the belly of the whale. We cannot order our own destiny, so Jonah learned! But that's not all--he also learned about the forgiveness and compassion that only God can give against those who despise Him.
HOW do you forgive a mass murderer, a thief, a family member, a friend, a stranger who has wronged you, violated you, cursed you, hurt you? You can't...but by the grace of the CAPTAIN, you can! He forgave His enemies from the Cross, and so can we--in our sorrow, pain and loss--WHEN and ONLY when HE is the Captain of our soul......
I choose to lay down my way, my wishes, my will--I choose to surrender my all to the Captain of my soul...how about you!
"'Twas the Night before Easter!" - popular parody at Peggie's Place! . . . More Easter resources
Delight in a Word from the Well--a refreshing in the Water of His Word
