An Easter Message to the Driver Who Killed a Lufkin Teen in 2022

The Tragic Hit & Run Event

On April 15, 2022, Gracie Massey, 14, was struck by a vehicle while walking with her friends on Pershing Avenue in Lufkin. She was flown to a Houston hospital, where she would pass away from her injuries a few days later.

The driver of the vehicle did not stop and left the accident scene. That person remains a fugitive.

A Message of Hope and Love

I did not know Gracie Massey, nor do I have any ties to the tragic event. However, a force has compelled me to write an Easter message directed to the vehicle's driver.

I hope he or she sees this and absorbs its meaning. Likewise, it is my hope that this message can remind me and anyone who reads it of God's forgiveness, mercy, love, and justice.

I will refer to the hit-and-run driver as 'Child of God'.

Dear Child of God,

It is critical you realize that you ARE a child of God--we all are. Our Lord desires that you and all of his children return to him someday in Heaven.

There is great rejoicing in Heaven when just one sinner repents and finds their way back to God. No matter how great your sins or how far removed you have been from Him, God wants to wash those sins from your soul, and He will...

...but, you must be like the criminal beside Jesus on the cross. He confessed his guilt, humbled himself, and asked Jesus to remember him. This is the path you must take. This is the path we all must take.

The Answer is Simple, But The Road is Difficult

For three years, you have escaped justice. I don't know if this burden has weighed heavily on you, or maybe you celebrate that you have bypassed your fate.

The answer to your salvation (and ours) is simple...confess, repent, surrender, just as the prodigal son did in Jesus' parable. However, the road will be difficult, I'm not going to lie to you.

Submitting yourself to the justice and anger that awaits you will be oppressive and harsh. But, know this, our time on Earth is only a tiny speck when compared to the eternity of the unimaginable joy that awaits us in Heaven.

Child of God, your Father loves you. That love goes beyond any love that you or any of us has experienced. Let this time of Jesus' resurrection emphasize His love and mercy.

God so loves you that he sacrificed His only Son for your salvation.

I pray that you come forward with a contrite and sorrowful heart this Easter, so that you can reap the love that God has waiting for you. I pray that God will continue to console and comfort the friends and family of Gracie, and that closure will be forthcoming.

And, for anyone reading this, I pray that you surrender to Jesus and love the Lord, your God, with all your mind, all your heart, and all your soul.

Happy Easter.