I want to be a Hit Man

Over the last few days I have been reading what I call a pleasure book. Those are the ones that fit into the less than spiritual, theological category. The aversion helps me to momentarily escape the world of endless responsibility and obligation. The journey during this particular read carried me into the life of an ex-mafia leader.  Needless to say each page was filled with excitement and intrigue.  The leader’s sinister lifestyle involved wire fraud, gambling, tax-evasion, and brutality. While any of the aforementioned was bad enough for judgment the most hideous of sins was the hit put on people’s lives.  And while this leader never ordered a personal hit on anyone he confessed that it happened often.  The knowledge of one ordering the death of another person was not a surprise. Some of the greatest hit men of all time are read about in the bible. Pharaoh ordered the deaths of hundreds of Hebrew babies.  Herod upon being deceived after the birth of Christ put a hit on every Israeli child two years old and younger. Saul before he became Paul put a hit on Stephen. All of these did so because of fear and insecurity. Those kinds of emotions can result in a person doing some desperate things. Strangely enough I want to be a HIT man. However, my desire is not to bring physical or emotional harm but to act in faith—the kind Robert Schuller talks about in his book “Be Happy You Are Loved.”  It’s an occupation that refuses to surrender in defeat.  It’s the kind of faith that says, “I’m not going to give up! I’m going to be an H.I.T.—Hang-In-There person. Things will turn around.”  Such a lifestyle is not void of suspense. When one chooses to be a HIT man the enemy will always present challenges. Yet, in the end it’s worth it.  Like the Mafia, God is always looking for recruits. But He needs those who will beckon to every command refusing to back down. Would you like to a H.I.T.—Hang-In-There-Person?