Proof of Life

This morning I am thinking about an email I received the other day. The subject line really captured my attention. It read, “Your immediate response is required if you are alive.” I laughed out loud at the message, which contained the telltale grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors of a scam. It said:

Hello. Please confirm if you are still alive because two gentle men walked into my office this morning to claim your inheritance with our bank. They said that you are dead and that they are your representative. I got your email from the file of your relative for the Contract he has executed before his death several years ago. You the beneficiary of this fund has not been in contact with the bank to claim your fund. If you are still alive, please indicate by sending your full contact details within 7 day of receiving this message, faliure to do so, I will send the card to the address submitted by your representatives.

Later I shared with my secretary how a sobering thought pierced through my amusement. As I’ve seen images and heard accounts of traumatized children who have been cruelly separated from their parents and warehoused in detention centers, I have been sickened and saddened. I have also been embarrassed by the relative silence and seeming indifference from so many who identify as believers in and followers of Christ.

I am compelled to send a “proof of life” request to everyone (including myself) who goes under the label of Christ-ian! My message is this:

“Hey! Are you alive?” Because there are those who are saying they represent you. You have an inheritance that was bequeathed to you by a Relative through His death many years ago. Your purported representatives are characterizing you as dead, and they are attempting to take your inheritance by default. But their callousness, arrogance, and deflection are all telltale signs of a scam. 

So open your eyes. Open your heart. Open your mouth. Because at this critical juncture, you are on the verge of forfeiting a treasure you will never be able to reclaim. My earnest plea is that you will stand up. Say something. Do something. Prove you are alive! Then take possession of what has been willed to you—an inheritance of mercy and compassion; an inheritance to be light in the midst of darkness; an inheritance of God’s love.