Great Meltdowns of History

Recent events have served to remind us of past catastrophies.  I can remember when Chernobyl captivated headlines in the eighties following the meltdown of a nuclear reactor.   Now we fear more of the same after the devastating earthquakes in Japan are causing a nuclear plant there to go through the meltdown process.  These disasters affect more than the countries where they occurred.  There is also the threat of the spread of the nuclear fallout to other countries.  Germany has already ordered the shut down of all seven nuclear plants in that country.
Another recent incident also gives us reason to remember various meltdowns in history.  Charlie Sheen dominated the headlines for a couple of weeks following another meltdown.  This for Charlie was just one more episode in a long series of  embarrassing personal moments.  As innocent bystanders we must decide how we will  allow this to effect our lives.  It deserves some thought as to how other such meltdowns affected people.
We can begin shortly after the creation of man.  Adam went through a meltdown by blaming Eve for eating the forbidden fruit.  Then there was Cain taking the life of his brother Abel because his sacrifice was not accepted by God. Major meltdown.  Lamech reveled in his meltdown moment through his arrogance of being more infamous than Cain.
You can see many such examples given to us in Scripture.  Meltdowns have happened throughout time and we today have come to expect them.  Some even welcome them for the gossip material they provide.  Yet we don't seem to want to deal with them in ways that can help resolve the problem. What do these meltdowns have in common?  They reveal the absence of God in their lives.
For Charlie Sheen, I can't help but feel sorry for him and hope he doesn't progress to the point where he becomes suicidal.  Charlie needs help.  Above all he needs the prayers of the righteous, not the self righteous, but the righteous people of God.  No man can be truly successful if God is not a part of his life.  Success is not measured in wealth or fame, but in godliness and faithfulness before our Creator.
If we are going to avoid a meltdown of our own, we need to look to Jesus.  Even in His final days leading up to His crucifixion, Jesus never went through a meltdown.  He always entrusted Himself to the Father, who was His source of strength.  If we are to be the mirror image of Christ, we should be doing the same.  As this mirror image we will not be just another historical statistic but a name written in the book of life.  Rodger