Messengers

Today was a normal Saturday; Tony and I wake up early, get breakfast, study for three hours, and then fill our day with something fun and exciting to even out our week. We headed up to Huntsville State Park and enjoyed the hot sun on a silver canoe floating the lake. It was a beautiful day; the Maker's beauty surrounding us, filling us up, and bringing us smiles from ear to ear. After lunch, fishing, and the discovery of twenty new freckles on my arms, we headed home. A few stops later and we were at Wal-Mart then Petco, just doing those last minute errands before Sunday.

Although today was just another normal day in our lives, we encountered about five men who were going about their everyday life in a way that was so powerful, so beautiful, and so intimate. First at Wal-Mart, we met a group of men who spread the Gospel of Christ and the beauty of reconciliation through the redemption of drugs, addiction, and pain. We heard their stories, and felt refreshed to see believers doing what God called them to. After feeling encouraged and uplifted, we went about our day to Petco. There we encountered another group of three guys, in no way associated with the first, stopping everyone to tell them about the Lord, and to share their stories. Goodness, their stories even brought me to tears.

After seeing these men standing outside in the heat, with joy on their faces, stopping anyone and everyone to tell them how Jesus Christ saved them, I couldn't help but feel completely encouraged, overwhelmed with joy, and also frustrated with myself. These men were like lamps in the darkness. Their joy radiated, and I don't know if I've seen anyone share their story of Jesus saving them with so much intimacy, so much power, so much boldness. These men were courageous, spirit-filled, reconciled, a new creation. Their love for the Lord reminded me of my own bold, vulnerable ministry of going out into a crowded place and sharing how Jesus saved me in the beginning of my faith. It reminded me of that young, faithful boldness, and how sharing the Gospel with boldness as loud as you can made your spirit full, bursting with life, and filled to the brim with love for your Creator. It showed me the passion of a follower of Christ, one who is not selfish in his salvation, but generous with his love, not timid to show others the power of the Gospel, unafraid of fickle words and mindless notions. Fearless. 

That image of those men preaching like it was the first day they met Jesus face-to-face made me look take a glance at myself and ask, "Why aren't I living like that anymore?" Why aren't I screaming His love from the mountain-tops? Why aren't I sharing my story with anyone who has ears to hear and eyes to see the goodness of the Lord? Why aren't I eager, and bold, and courageous? My own frustration with myself came to light. Those men did more than just tell me their stories; they retold mine. They told me that passionate love song that I experienced, that love that filled me up, that grace that overwhelmed me, the Jesus that saved me. They told me my own story without even knowing it. What a blessing and a wake up call. Here I am moving along with the world, when my spirit is begging to share its kingdom. 

Amen to messengers reminding us of why we're here.