Last weekend, I was in the mood to watch a movie, but not in the mood to spend $5 to rent one. So, I checked the TV listings and saw that "The Last Days of Left Eye" was on. Perhaps you've heard of Left Eye. She was the "L" of the all-girl group, TLC. Or, perhaps you know her, from the tabloids, as Lisa Lopes, her legal name. I was fond of TLC when their first album came out in the early 90's ( I was in college at the time). They seemed to represent a new kind of "girl power", however, they were a bit outspoken when it came to sexual issues. . .a bit too liberal for my taste. Anyway, as time passed, my interests in music changed and I didn't listen to them anymore, but I would hear, from time-to-time, about the troubles of the group like bankruptcy, for example. I would also hear of Lisa's run-ins with the law and issues with her NFL-player-boyfriend (at the time), Andre Rison. To be honest, I would read the stories, make my judgemental comments about celebrities who ain't never had nothin' runnin' through their money and then filing for bankruptcy. Or, I'd comment on that crazy Lisa Lopes setting her boyfriend's house on fire. And when the media suspected that alcohol was involved in the car accident that took her life, I just assumed it was true and shook my head in disappointment.
Well, out of curiosity, I watched "The Last Days of Left Eye". It was a video diary of her last 26 days of life. You see, Lisa took her family and some friends down to Honduras, a place that she frequented for rest and relaxation, for a 30-day retreat. They were not at some plush beachfront resort. They were straight up in the BUSH!! The purpose of the retreat was to do some cleansing-physically and spiritually. During that time, Lisa had hoped to film the diary so that people would understand her a bit better. While the documentary turned out to be a pleasant surprise in some aspects, in that, I realized that she wasn't the person that the tabloids had made her out to be. After watching it, I was deeply saddened. . .
You see, what I came away with was that Lisa Lopes was a person like you and me. . .tryin' to make through this thing called life. She grew up in a not-so-good situation. Her father was a strict disciplinarian and her mother was verbally and physically abused by him. After their divorce, Lisa and her siblings lived with their mom, but later, they went to live with their paternal grandmother, which Lisa describes as "Mommie Dearest" (and she was not exaggerating when she said that). After running away several times, she left her grandmother's home for the last time at age 17 to seek her fortune in Atlanta with $750 in her pocket. Shortly after that, TLC was born. One would think that after becoming a star with money and fame that everything else that was bad would just disappear. I have no idea why we think that. . .I've been guilty of that too, but that is certainly not the case. Lisa battled alcoholism. Her relationship with Andre Rison was unhealthy to say the least, but can you blame her? What role-models did she have?
Lisa did some wonderful things. She cared for the people (the children, in particular) of Honduras. At the time of her death, she was in the process of creating a educational/community center for some children in Honduras She adopted a little girl in an effort to help the birth mother take care of the child. She sought out new musical talent in hopes of educating them on the pros and cons of the music business. She felt as though she had learned so much from her experiences.
Unfortunately, Lisa Lopes practiced Numerology and Astrology, which is associated with the occult, and that's what saddened me most. As a Christian, I know that there is an afterlife. Eternity does exist, but we must choose, while we are here on earth, where we will spend it. If we accept God's free, precious gift of salvation that comes only through Jesus, we will spend eternity or eternal life in Heaven with God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). If one rejects this gift, one will spend eternity in Hell (a very real place with Satan and his angels). It's that simple. One's salvation isn't dependent on how good one is, how nice one is, how giving one is, or on whether or not one's mother is saved. Every one must make a choice-on this side. . .afterwards is too late. I didn't know Lisa or her heart, only God knows a person's heart, but based on His Word, if she had not accepted Jesus' gift of salvation, she could very well be living in Hell even as I am blogging. That saddens me because while I was making judgments about her, I should have been praying for her. Not "Oh Lord, please save this heathen girl", but "Lord, here is someone who appears to be lost, like I was (like I still act sometimes), please send someone or somebodies to her who will show her Your love and lead her to You."
So, now I'm examining my life. . .what am I doing to advance God's kingdom? Am I willing to step outside my comfort zone to lead souls to Him? Am I really living my life so that when people see me they see Jesus ? When I wake up every morning, am I focused on eternity? As in, this may be my last day on earth, am I doing all I can to impact God's Kingdom, today? Or, am I just concerned with getting through my to-do list? My friends, time is winding up. People are dying and going to Hell everyday. In the immortal words of Dap (Laurence Fishburne's character from Spike Lee's movie, School Daze), "Wake up!" It's time for me to get busy. It's time for all of us to get busy!
