#YODO (You Only Die Once)

We all are familiar with the story of Harriet Tubman tasting freedom as a young girl and later as the conductor of the Underground Railroad – and if you have not heard it during Black History Month or the recent consternation about her gracing the $20 bill, then go slap your elementary educator or parents for omitting that critical piece of American history for whitewashing the past and/or simply not paying attention. During her formative years, she recalled hearing Bible stories from her mother including the account of how Israel escaped the clutches of Pharaoh to show her a God that desires freedom for His people.

Tubman first tasted freedom herself when she slipped into Pennsylvania from Maryland.  Yet she found herself dissatisfied because she was cognizant of the thousands of other black slaves still trapped in bondage, just as the Israelites were in Pharaoh’s Egypt. She led more than a dozen rescue missions to rescue those still in slavery, dismissing the personal danger. “I can’t die but once,” she remarked.

Don’t let the Old Line State motto fool you – Maryland was a slave state and the Keystone Stare wasn’t exactly a liberating locale as many slaves furthered their freedom journeys north to Canada and New England thanks to safe houses, the Quaker society, and those citizens sympathetic to the cause of equality.  

Unlike most of us, Tubman knew the truth of Matthew 10:28.

And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. – Matthew 10:28

Jesus spoke these words to the disciples as He sent them on their first mission knowing they would face danger, ridicule, threats, and not everyone would welcome them warmly. So why would He expose them to the risks? Read Matthew 9:36 to understand the answer below:

But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. – Matthew 9:36

When Tubman couldn’t forget those who were left behind, she showed a picture of Christ who did not forget us when we were trapped in our sins. Her courageous example has inspired many movements including the sit-ins during the Civil Rights Movement to remember those who remain without hope in the world.

You may be able to kill the body, but the spirit lives on through eternity via the true freedom found in knowing and serving Christ.