Forever Changed

You know that feeling you get when you have an unbelievable, incredible, life-changing experience…and you think There is no possible way I'll ever forget this feeling and the impact this has had on my life? Then, some time goes by and the feeling fades, the impact may lose its powerful newness of epiphany and you kind of forget. There are those moments, though, in which something bigger and more powerful is at work and you walk away truly changed forever. They may be rare, but somehow, on some deeper level, you recognize it. You know it's not going away and you will never ever be the same.

Recently, I had the honor and privilege to meet someone and hear her story and her heart. I got to see the sparkle in her eyes when she shared about the miracles she had seen God do in her life. I got to hear the passion in her voice as she shared stories of heartache and brokenness radically transformed into hope and new life.

As she answered students' questions about her background and her conversion, it seemed so simple and matter of fact. Of course she would do whatever it took to share the love of Jesus with others, and of course it was worth the risk of losing her very life. Isn't that what Jesus did for her? Why would she give any less?

It has helped me to understand that we cannot truly appreciate freedom unless we have experienced bondage and slavery. We cannot know the value of the greatest sacrifice ever given for us until we have given up something so dear and precious to us, having faith that something greater will be gained. The only way we can begin to fathom deep gratitude is to receive the very thing we so desperately need but could in no way attain on our own.

I am humbled that I've had the awesome opportunity to listen and ask questions and pray for needs with this child of God, who so boldly speaks so that others may know Him. I am in awe of His glory and power displayed through her story. It is a reminder that His grace and love is reflected in each of our stories. When my boys got to hear her speak, they took in what their 7 and 4 year old minds could comprehend, but then they each looked up at me and asked "Mommy, will you tell me your story?"

In her words, I will share the thing that has stuck with me the most…in response to a question from a student about sharing her faith:

It's simple. God sent His one and only Son to be sacrificed on the cross for me. All He wants me to do is share it. Why wouldn't I want to take the Best News there could possibly be and tell everyone about it?

It really is simple if we let it be.

Thank you, dear friend, for your faithfulness and obedience in sharing the Gospel. Thank you for helping me keep things in perspective by increasing my awareness of what it really looks like to follow Jesus, even if it means losing everything else. The cost is great, but it is worth it.