On Eagle's Wings

In downtown Indianapolis, Indiana is the train station where travelers from all over the United States and the world come on their way to points known and unknown.  During much of the day, trains on either side of the station pass through the station to take travelers to their destinations.  At certain times each day, an engineer operated a switch that allowed certain trains to pass by the Indianapolis station without stopping.

One afternoon, as the engineer was waiting for the last train to pass through the station on his watch, he looked off into an Indiana afternoon sky to catch sight of a train’s light in the distance.  Moving forward, he communicated with the train’s conductors and operator to confirm that the train would not stop in Indianapolis.  The engineer prepared to activate the controls that would cause the tracks to move into a position whereby the train would pass by the train station.  As the train came within the ascribed distance, the engineer’s horror and dismay, the switching device would not work completely.  Instead of switching into place, the track only went half way.  If the track did not completely switch in place, then the train would jump the track and possibly kill a great many people as this was a passenger train.  As an engineer, he knew the track had a manual device that he could employ to switch the tracks to avert am accident.  The engineer could now hear the whistle of the train. He took hold of the device and applied pressure.  He knew that many peoples’ lives could depend on his ability to get the track to move into position.

The engineer heard a sound coming in his direction that brought terror to his ears and heart.

“Dad, where are you?”  shouted the engineer’s 6 year old son whose school bus had always left him at the train station at this time each day.  On this day, the little boy left the protection of the engineer’s office.  Walking on the train tracks, the boy continued to search for his father.  The engineer’s first impulse was to leave the device to save his son but the train was too close.  He had a choice.  He could abandon the lever, run, grab his son from certain death or stay where he was to allow the train to proceed safely.  Either the people on the train or his beloved son must die.

The engineer took a second to make his decision.  The train sped swiftly on its way.  No one on the train was aware of the engineer/father’s sacrifice or the little, broken body thrown mercilessly across the tracks of Indianapolis, Indiana or a man still clinging to the manual level as he wept unceasingly for his young son.  Nor did any of the travelers see a broken man, weeping all the way home to inform his wife and the boy’s brother and sisters how he had sacrificed their loved one.

For those who read this story, if you can comprehend the feelings and emotions of the engineer/father maybe you might be able to understand Our Heavenly Father’s feelings when He sacrificed His Son to get humankind on the right track to eternal life.

Imagine, for a moment, if you will, how the Father felt/feels when we, the object of Christ’s sacrifice, speed through life ignoring and, in many instances, give no thought to what His Son accomplished.  Is it any wonder that the earth and universe wept, trembled, darkened and fear took hold of Jerusalem the day Jesus was murdered?