Tom and Jerry

I know. It has been a while…but whatever I will get straight to the point.

So I am in Dallas for the second straight week for work. I come back to my hotel room after eating some lunch and I start entering some inquiry cards from the night before. I flip through the channels and there is nothing on but Tom and Jerry on Cartoon Network. So I watch and think about all of the times as a kid where I would wake up and watch it or get home from school and it would be on.

This time was different…

It is the episode where Tom (the cat) gets knocked unconscious and starts going up this long gold escalator. Gets to a gate called “Heavenly Express” and all of these little mice are getting in and Tom tries to sneak in and gets stopped by “Peter the Cat”. Peter tells Tom that he can’t get on the Heavenly Express because he has been persecuting  Jerry his whole life and the express is leaving in one hour and at this rate he is going to Hell. Peter then gives Tom a glimpse of Hell. The Bulldog is standing in this fiery pit laughing and telling Peter to send Tom down to him.  Peter tells Tom that he needs Jerry forgiveness before he can get on the Heavenly Express.

It just made me think this little cartoon has a point. I know it may not be theologically accurate but it does enough to get its point across to me. When Tom saw just a picture of Hell all he wanted to do was correct all of his wrong doings, run back down the escalator and beg Jerry for his forgiveness. I wonder what the world would be like if they saw just a second of Hell and realized the joy, peace and happiness Jesus brings. I know I am not perfect, that I have sinned and I do sin but it is by the love and grace of Jesus Christ that I am forgiven. You and I don’t have to run and beg a mouse or a roommate for forgivness… You just have to ask Jesus Christ.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the floty of God, and are justified by his frace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Romans 3: 23-34