A Murder Confession

On a cold rainy night on March 1, 1946, the doorbell rang. The wife of Felix Gulje answered the door and saw a woman standing there. The woman claimed that she had a letter to give to Felix. When he came to the door, he was met by a gun and shot in the chest. He died in an ambulance on the way to the hospital. This murder remained a mystery for 65 years until recently. After all of this time, Atie Visser, at this point a 96-year-old woman, confessed to authorities that she had murdered Felix Gulje on that night. But now that she is so old and frail, they are not going to prosecute her.

 

It's troubling that it took Atie Visser 65 years to confess this murder. You have to wonder what went through her mind over this extensive period of time. Did she ever feel bad? Did she regret her actions? Did guilt ever get to her? While such questions are nothing but speculation, we do know that her guilty conscience clearly did not play much of a role for a very long time.

 

Sadly, people are constantly trying to "get away" with crimes in this country. Today we even have TV shows like "CSI" and "Law & Order" where people are trying to escape the punishment for their actions. While it seems like there are so many unsolved mysteries out there, it is important to remember the words of Hebrews 4:13, "And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do."

 

While Atie Visser "got away" with murder for 65 years, this murder mystery was never a secret from God. Even if people aren't caught in this life, no one is actually "getting away" with anything. Christians are no different. Let's remember that we are not getting away with anything that occurs in secret (Psalm 33:13-15). God is always watching (2 Chronicles 16:9). Nothing is hidden from His sight (Job 34:21). He knows what we are doing and thinking. There will come a day when we will have to answer for our actions (Jeremiah 21:14; 32:19; Psalm 62:12; Matthew 16:27). If this is an uncomfortable thought, then something needs to change in our lives. 

 

--Brett Petrillo