ALL CHRISTED OUT

  “Yeah Yeah, Yeah, check out my new Iced out watch man Can you handle this! I mean can you really handle this? I’m going blind just havin this on!” Jesse boasted to his crew. Jesse was one of the flyest kids at Lee Arnold High school. He was always rockin the hottest gear. There was not a day where he was not rockin something that was not in. He kept a lock on everything hot, especially his jewelry. Most of his money from his job went toward his clothes and his jewelry.



  Everyone knew who he was, not only from his own high school but also from other schools. The teachers knew him as the kid with the jewelry, it got to the point where people just began calling him, Jesse the jeweler because of the astounding pieces of “ice” he was wearing.



  He had access to all the cliques in the school. Through his connections not only with the certain groups in school but with the people who worked at the school, everybody knew that Jesse was always VIP. And that not just for school, whether VIP for the clubs or anything where there was a party, Jesse got in without any hassle.



  Do I even have to mention the ladies? Almost every girl wanted his name and number. There was never a week where he never had a date. He carried two phones because one could not hold any more numbers for all the girls he was seeing.



    To any player or baller or shot caller, Jesse’s life was a dream to almost anybody wanting to be fly. He was nice in every since of the word. Not only in ice and the ladies but also in sports. He excelled in basketball, baseball, and even a little bit of football. But he just broke everybody down on the court in true hustler style.



  It was a Saturday afternoon on the courts  and Jesse was in pure form. Watching the embarrassment in his friends faces as he was shooting three pointer after three pointer just made the game even more of a delight. As Jesse was going for a full court press, Jesse started to feel a tug on his heart. It felt just like a small tug so Jesse ignored it, and continued shooting.



  “BAM!!” Jesse said as he made the final shot ending the game. “That’s game fellas. Thanks for playing..and may I say...losing!” Jesse confidently bragged. Then Jesse took a few steps toward his gear and suddenly a sharp pain came on his chest and before anyone knew it Jesse collapsed right in the middle of the court. His friends called for the ambulance but it looked as if it was too late as he looked as if he was not breathing.



  At the hospital family and friends were in bewilderment of what caused this, or what was the synopsis from the doctor and prayed for the best but it looked like the worst was evident. The doctor came out to the family and informed the mother to sit down. This of course did not sound good.



  Jesse had contracted a lung cancer that was unknown to even the most well known experts. At the present time the doctor informed, there was no way to cure it. The doctor informed the family to consider making last preparations.



    The family of course was in a state of shock and bewilderment. Nonetheless they went into the room where Jesse was laying in an almost comatose state, not being able to move and not looking as if he was breathing at all but just sleeping.



  They stayed for a number of hours then he woke up with a sleepy look and then asked what happened. They explained what happened and what the situation was to Jesse. Jesse was in a state of shock but more or less in disbelief. He begin to think about his life and how it was so unfair that this had to happen to him of all people. What did he do to deserve this? 





  He immediately begin to think how this would change his status at his high school. He would not enjoy the life that he would be able to enjoy anymore. Bringing the image of the bling at Lee Arnold, he was the man now he just found out that he was going to die? “Why?” Jesse questioned in his mind.



    For a number of months Jesse stayed in the hospital going the outpatient treatment until he was discharged a few weeks later to stay at home for a couple of days to fully recover before he returned to school. While at home his mood was more or less happy to be home, but still concerned about how short his life was cut and how unfair this was. “Why me!!” Jesse kept saying to himself. Jesse could not find an answer to his question.



  A few weeks later Jesse was allowed to go back to school but advised by the doctors to keep him under strict observation.  He saw his friends and business was as usual and told them about the incident but not the specifics. While he had fun with his friends. His condition kept him under a dark cloud. The only thing that he had right now that put him in his right mindset was his reputation for being the flashy kid. That’s what he worked on so hard everyday to maintain and kept that even during these times.



  Jesse was back at school trying to readjust and get back into his rep. Even though it was a little hard to readjust and get back into shine mode. He still wore the jewels and started to forget about the whole incident, but something kept pulling at his mind. “A few weeks ago I was near death and now I’m here at school business as usual. But I was near death. I’m just wondering man, is this all life is?”



  Jesse was now depressed with a number of questions and now contemplating on a number of things. Jesse wondered if this was a wake up call for his life and if so what else was there because right now in his mind he’s living all there is to be which is a blinged out fly life. What could be better than that right? What else could you ever need?



  So it was the end of school and Jesse was coming out of the convenience store getting some juice to drink as he came home. A man in a white T-Shirt came up to him and as he was trying to put some of his change in his pocket, he bumped into the man and dropped a quarter on the ground, as he went to pick it up, he saw a small sheet of torn paper with some writing on it which said “Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” Jesse read small sheet of paper and just said “Wow.” but really did not pay much attention to the message after that.



  However Jesse begin to think about what the message said and said to himself. “Why am I thinking of this? What is this trying to say? That I need to chill off the flossin and shinin? Please! Not doin that!”



  So Jesse just continued his days as usual and soon the message was out of his mind. However when Jesse went to school one day, he saw that several police cars was at the school and an ambulance. “Man what happened?” Jesse asked a fellow student. “Yo, didn’t you hear? Rico got robbed today at school. They robbed him and stabbed him in the bathroom. He was always keeping nice pieces of chains and rings on him. He just got robbed and taken out.” The student said. Jesse was speechless, not for the fact not only did he know the guy Rico, but something like this could happen..at his school. Jesse was in a total state of shock.



  Throughout the whole day, Jesse pondered on the incident.  “That kid had some nice pieces like I did. That could of been me! I could of been carried out like that dude.” Jesse realized. That night at dinner Jesse played the incident in his head over and over, not knowing what to do Jesse just kept pondering on the incident



    After dinner he went into his room and still was thinking about how close to this life this was, Right then just out of nowhere Jesse looked up and said “Look God, I don’t know if you are real or not, all I know is that I need help. I don’t want to end up like that kid. If that is the road where it is going to lead and God, if you are real, I’m praying to you help me right now! Please show me who you are!” Jesse seemingly demanded.   



    The next day as Jesse was walking home from school, he crossed the street and dropped one of his school books. As he picked up his book, he saw a reflection of a huge cross in a puddle of water in the street. He looked up and saw that the reflection was that of a cross that was sitting on high atop a church.  Jesse then looked at his iced out cross and then something came over him. He then came to the realization that the cross of Christ that was on the church was so much bigger than the one he carried around his neck. But not only the cross physically, but also what it represented. He came to the realization that the iced out cross was just a show of his ego, but the cross of Christ was so much bigger and Jesse wanted that now. At that very point, he didn’t want the blinged out identity anymore, he now wanted at that very instance, something more.



    Jesse then went home and prayed to God to reveal who he was through the cross. Right after he had finished praying he turned on his television and a man was talking about this man named...Jesus who died on a cross for our sins. He then prayed that Jesus would come into his heart and direct him to what he needed to do.



The next day without even thinking, he went to a pawn shop and sold all his iced out pieces and started to buy books on Christ and he went back to the same church he found the cross and confessed he needed a savior and confessed that he was a sinner needing to be saved. The next Sunday he was baptized, and from that moment on, life for Jesse had not been the same since.



  Jesse now lives a life without the attention and effect that the bling brought, and without the iced out jewelry that he used to wear. He found that nothing could compare to Christ and Christ Jesus. He began witnessing to people about Jesus and how the material things in this world could not compare to him. People thought he was going crazy, but he didn’t care. Because Jesse had found that silver and gold will fade, but Jesus throne will remain forever. Jesse had come to that fact and now is living a life where to him it’s not about being all iced out anymore, to him Jesus is the jewel of his life and now instead of being “Mr. Iced out” Jesse in his heart was now “All Christ Out!”









  Friend listen, nothing can compare to Jesus, nothing can compare to his love. The bible says that everything in this world will pass away but his Word endureth forever. Nothing compares to him. Jesus said he is life everlasting. Everlasting! And Jesus said whosoever partakes of him and receives him will have life everlasting also.



  If you have come to a point in your life where you are searching for something more, friend, Jesus is the answer. He is the one who will fulfill all your longings in life for attention, for love, for spirit. If you really want to receive him just say this simple prayer:



  Lord I want you to come into my life, I want you to direct my steps dear God. Guide me and lead me Jesus. Lord I have come to my wits end and I don’t want the flash and attention of this world anymore, Lord please come into my heart and fill that void that craved for the superficial things that I have strived for. I give my life to you right now Lord and I’m asking that you save me Jesus.



                                                                                                  In Jesus name I pray.



                                                                                                            Amen





  Remember that the only jewel in this world that can endure is the jewel that is Christ Jesus. May God bless you richly and abundantly in his love. In Jesus Christ name I pray. Amen.