SEEING JESUS

By Grace

At the end of June, I went to a beach camp with my youth group, and, while I wasn’t looking for “Jesus moments,” a few certainly found me.

The most memorable day of the trip was Tuesday. At about nine that morning, I got a text from my friend, Julie, who wasn’t in our youth group, but just happened to be at the same beach at the same time. The other days, she was always twenty minutes away or more, and we hadn’t bothered to try and find each other. However, on Tuesday, she texted me, “I think I’ll be near you today! What hotel are you staying at? I told her my hotel, but didn’t think much of it. Then we went to our first church service of the day—then off we went to the beach! That was the first day that most of us went out to the water, since we hadn’t had time to the day before.

My plan was to only go out to knee deep water—waist deep if I was pushing it. The youth group—as well as the ocean—had other plans. After being knocked face down into the salty water one too many times, I decided to go back up to my room in the hotel. But as I was leaving, I heard a group of my friends calling my name and waving me closer. “I’m probably going to drown,” I thought to myself as I waded into the water. As one giant line, the youth group decided to “ride the waves.” If I timed my jump right, I would be lifted through the water like I was on a little roller coaster. If I timed it wrong, I was smacked in the face so hard, it sent me flying four or five feet in the other direction until the undertow brought me back. I would get a mouth full of sea water, a terrible burning sensation in my eyes, and a pair of the wobbliest knees you’ve ever seen.

After around my fourth punch to the face, I grabbed hold of my friend Katy’s hand so that I would go flying. Once I managed to get to my feet again, we sort of looked at each and decided, “I guess this is what we’re doing now.”

That day I learned that my friend is, in fact, not a teenaged girl, but an Amazon warrior. She told me exactly when to jump so I wouldn’t fall down, and when the waves were particularly big or rough, she squeezed my hand and said, “Grace, here it comes!” When it knocked me over, she didn’t let go. She held my arm all the tighter and pulled me back up. When I couldn’t stand up in time, she practically threw me out of the water like I was weightless rag doll and put me back on my feet.

This went on for a while, but I finally had to go back to room. I had probably swallowed about a cup and half of saltwater, and I was feeling a little too close to passing out. So I went upstairs, and then realized just how dehydrated I was. I grabbed another friend, Emma, and dragged her downstairs to get water with me. Then we trudged back up the stairs. Once I was in my room, I read a text I had received from my friend, Julie, that said, “WHERE ARE YOU, I’M LITERALLY IN YOUR LOBBY!!”

I rushed back to Emma’s room—wearing my pajamas and my hair still dripping wet—and desperately begged her to come back downstairs to the lobby. We waited for the elevator, but I thought it was going to take too long, so together, we ran down five flights of stairs. (She was running down the stairs in flip flops and bell bottoms that touched the floor; it’s only by the grace of God she didn’t slip!)

Immediately, I called Julie, but when I got to the lobby, I didn’t see her. She had gone to the wrong hotel—which was when I realized I had given her the wrong name.

I felt terrible. I had dragged Emma all the way down for nothing! I asked Julie if she wanted to wait and try another time so I could get Emma back up to her room to finish getting ready for the night service. Julie responded, “I’m only three minutes away.”

So we waited. It felt like hours. As I saw a van pass, I realized I didn’t know what car she was driving. I tried to ask her, but before the text was even delivered, she appeared in the sliding doors of the hotel lobby.

My plan was to get up, walk to her, get a quick hug, and we could talk. This is not what happened. She saw me, and immediately screamed, “GRACE!” and took off like a rocket. She bolted towards me and caught me in a hug that almost pushed me down. It was a typical girl moment—for about five seconds, we hugged each other as we bounced around the hotel lobby, laughing and partially screaming indistinguishable words. I could feel the stares of Emma and a few of the other members of our youth group—both boys—and I knew they were more than a little confused. And more than a little willing to judge me for it. But at that moment, neither of us cared.

It wasn’t difficult to spot the lessons in these stories:

I saw Jesus in my friend, Katy. When we are being thrown around by the waves, it’s so tempting to just get out of the water and get back into our comfort zone. But Jesus calls us back, because He knows that He can take care of us. He holds our hands so tightly, and He tells us just when to jump. And sometimes the waves still smack us around—but as long as we are holding on tight to Him, we are not going anywhere. Sometimes, we fall down or go under, but Jesus is right there to pick us up and put us back on our feet.

I saw Jesus in my friend, Emma. Jesus wants to have an adventure with you, and when you take off running down those stairs, He is right next to you.

I saw Jesus in my friend, Julie. I think a lot of times when we go to church, or pray, or open our Bibles, we think, “I’ll just see Jesus for a second—I’ll meet Him in the middle, give Him a quick hug, catch Him up on what’s going on with me, and that’ll be that.” But Jesus has other plans. Every time you decide to meet with the Lord, He comes running after you, calling your name as loud as He can, and catching you in the biggest, warmest hug imaginable. He loves us so much, and He loves being around us more than we know. He longs to be with you, to show His love for you.

Oftentimes, we can forget that Jesus is our friend. And our friendship with Him requires everything an earthly friendship does; trust, love, communication, actual, real time spent together.

That’s what Jesus is asking of us. That’s what He asked of me this week.

May Psalm 42:1-2 be your prayer.

THE LIGHT of the FATHER

By Grace

While scrolling through Instagram earlier, I came across a post by a favorite actor of mine, Misha Collins. It said this: “It was well past bedtime last night when I stomped into the kids’ room and demanded, ‘Why is the light on?!’ [My daughter] said, ‘I turned it on because I was scared. But you can turn it off now. When you’re here, you’re the light.’”

This got me thinking. Isn’t this the kind of trust that God wants His children to have in Him? Okay, I know you might be a little confused. Why would I use a story from Misha Collins of all people? He’s not exactly the poster child for Christianity. His most notable role is in show that deals with misrepresented angels, demons, and even the devil himself.

Don’t worry, I can see the irony. Almost immediately, I thought of this verse:

“What man among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” —‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7:9-11‬

We’re going through a pretty scary time right now. I have no idea what’s going to happen. To be honest with you, I’m pretty freaked out. But I don’t have to be. I don’t have to be afraid of the dark, because when God is here, HE is my light. I don’t have to be frightened of the monster under the bed because God is right there with me—and He isn’t going anywhere.

So what about you? What is your darkness? Is it uncertainty? Is it stress? Is it worry? Is it a general lack of peace? Whatever your darkness is, you needn’t fear it or dread it. Our God is the light that banishes the darkness. The monster under your bed has no hold on you.

I keep going back to that quote from earlier. “[My daughter] said, ‘I turned it on because I was scared. But you can turn it off now. When you’re here, you’re the light.’” What a trust this little girl has in her father. The kind of trust she has for her father is the trust God wants us to have for Him—multiplied by thousands. The love that her father has for her is the kind of love God has for us—multiplied by billions. If we who are evil—by default or by practice—know how to give good gifts to our children, how much more will our Heavenly Father give good gifts to us if we ask? This man is a candle for his little girl. Our God is the sun for us. He banishes the darkness in blinding rays. We never have to fear or worry!

What is your darkness?
What gifts has God given you to overcome your darkness?

I DON’T HAVE A TESTIMONY

By Grace

Stop me if you’ve heard this one.

“I grew up in the church. My parents taught me the Bible and I got saved when I was [six/seven/eight] years old. That’s pretty much it. There was no drastic difference or dramatic life change. I don’t really have a testimony.”

This is the statement that many people make when asked to share their testimony. I’ve heard this too many times to count. Heck, I’ve even said it. But it’s not true. It’s not true for me, it’s not true for you, it’s not true for anyone. This is a lie.

It is not my testimony. This is not my story. My story is not about a little girl who made a decision when she was six. It’s about a man who loved this little girl so much that He left everything behind and sacrificed Himself on a cross so that that little girl would live.

Christians who grew up in the church tend to think that we don’t have a testimony. Because we didn’t have some dramatic 180 turn in our lives, our story doesn’t matter. The only testimonies that matter are the BIG ONES, the INSPIRING ONES, the ROAD TO DAMASCUS stories. The small ones are not important. Our stories are no big deal.

What??

Look, maybe God didn’t save from alcoholism or a drug addiction or gambling or something like that. Maybe God didn’t stop you in the middle of your trip to blind you and tell you to stop killing and persecuting Christians. But that doesn’t mean your story isn’t important. Listen—you went from hell ridden to heaven bound! Correct me if I’m wrong, but that seems like a pretty big deal to me! You were called from death to life! And that’s not important? Your story MATTERS.

“The dramatic change wasn’t as important as why the change happened.” -Christie Smith

Maybe Jesus didn’t save you from what you WERE but what you COULD HAVE been. No matter who you are or how old you were when you made that decision, you were headed down a road of brokenness and emptiness. You were on a dark path, headed straight to death and Jesus intercepted you. He told you to turn around and you obeyed. Now you’re on the path of LIFE. That’s amazing! Don’t you want to tell everyone about the path you’re on? Intercept people!

There is not a single person who is not empty apart from Jesus. There is not a single person who has called upon the name of Jesus and not been filled.

Sometimes, I think we try to make our testimonies about ourselves. But at the core, we all have the same story. We were empty and we called on Jesus and in His great love and mercy, He filled us. Our testimony is this: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

‭‭(John‬ ‭3:16‬ ‭ASV‬‬)

Your story matters. You have a testimony.

MOOD

By Grace

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.” Hebrews‬ ‭4:15‬

Recently while watching The Hobbit (all three of them in one day, because I am that nerd), I thought about what a relatable character Bilbo Baggins is. I don’t really know what it is about him, but several times throughout the three movies, I found myself thinking, “That would be me if I were the protagonist of a story.”

Funny, isn’t it? How often do you think something like that while doing … well, anything? A while back, after I had tripped and laughed at myself, a friend of mine chuckled, and said simply, “Me.” Somehow, for some reason, that’s just what we say now. “Me,” or “I would totally do that,” or “Relatable.” Sometimes even just “Mood” (Not something I have heard often until I spent a weekend with twelve of my peers). When we watch TV and movies, or read books, or play video games, or scroll through pages of social media accounts of celebrities we admire, we always tend to gravitate towards the one person we find relatable. A relatable character or person is very important to us, because we long for someone who understands us. Especially as teenagers, we want to be understood and have someone sympathize with us. We love characters that represent us, because we believe that they know what we’re going through.

I’m not exactly sure where this longing comes from, but it really is everywhere, especially in lonely people. I am a slightly lonely person, and I love relatable characters, too. Bilbo Baggins? Totally me. Peter Parker? I would definitely do… most of what he does. Charlie Brown? Mood. Doesn’t even matter what he’s doing or how he’s feeling, I relate. I can sympathize with him, and I know he could sympathize with me.

“Of all the Charlie Browns in the world, you’re the Charlie Brownie-est”

So, for all of you lonely people, I have good news. Jesus sympathizes with you. Whatever you’re going through, He understands. No matter how you’re hurting, He gets it. He can relate. Jesus knows you, and He knows how you feel, because He’s been there. He’s suffered in every way you have. Anytime you’re feeling lonely, or like no one understands you, or like no one knows you or what you’re going through, remember that Jesus does. And He’s there whenever you need Him. He’s there to talk or listen or just be a shoulder to cry on. Jesus is your comfort and your joy because He understands.

INCONCEIVABLE (Romans 8:38-39)

By Grace

*warning: while writing this post, I went into super-nerd mode*

Now, I’m going to talk about my all-time favorite book/movie. As you can probably tell by the title, it’s The Princess Bride – yes, it was a book before it was a movie.

Anyway, when I talk about The Princess Bride, I have to talk about Westley and Buttercup. After all, Buttercup IS the princess and the bride, and Westley is the only reason she’s still alive. If it weren’t for him, the whole story would be about a strikingly beautiful (but not very bright) woman who almost married a prince, and whose murder started a war. But that didn’t happen. In fact, because Westley was there, the whole story was about MAKING SURE all of that didn’t happen. The story was about him putting up with everything he had to go through just to protect her – and trust me, put up with a lot. He put up with her teasing, he left to find work so he could have enough money to marry her, he refused to die and insisted on getting stronger in the hopes of finding her again, he somehow managed to crawl halfway across a castle to stop her wedding, and stopped her from killing herself. All things considered, Buttercup found herself quite a man.

These are just a few of the things Westley did for Buttercup. After Westley led Buttercup through the fire swamp, they met Prince Humperdinck, and Buttercup chose life over Westley. And even after she brutally broke Wesley’s heart – and he went through some serious torture and *ahem* DIED – he still went after her. You know what that is? Inconceivable!

As I thought about this, I realized something. Our God’s love is inconceivable.

He pursues us, even after we push Him away, time and time again. Despite all He does for us, we constantly sin and screw things up. But no matter how many times we run away from Him, He always finds us again. And even after all our mistakes, He sent His own Son to die for us so we would never have to be separated from Him again.

A lot of people try to convince themselves that they can live without God and His love. But the fact is, we can’t. Without God, we couldn’t dream of even living at all. God is the source of life, and more than that, He’s the source of love, joy, peace – everything good! In the words of C.S. Lewis, “The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell.” In other words, you can’t live without love, and of course, God is love.

On the other hand, many people think that they have messed up so badly that God can’t love them. They think they’ve reached the limits of His love, and they neglect the fact that God’s love has no limits! No matter what happens, God will always love you, and He will always pursue you, and He will always rescue you from Vizzini. Let Him be your rescuer, and He will save you with His overflowing, never ending, inconceivable love.

WHAT’S HER NAME AGAIN

By Grace

I was looking at the women of the Bible, and I noticed something interesting. We can all agree that a majority of the stories in the Bible are about men. Don’t get angry – it’s not a bad thing, it’s just how it is. But there’s a difference between the women in the Old Testament and the women in the New Testament. In the Old Testament, we have Eve, Sarah, Miriam, Rahab, Ruth, Hannah, Esther. We even have Bilhah and Zilpah, the servants of Rachel and Leah. However, in the New Testament, we have the three Marys, a Martha, and the Samaritan woman, the adulteress woman, the sick woman, the dead girl, etc.

In the Old Testament, we have a lot of names and specifics. The New Testament is different – instead of focusing on the details of the character (their names or ages), the authors focus more on what others see them as.

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One woman was seen as an adulteress, so that’s what she was called.

One woman was seen as diseased, so that’s what she was called.

One woman was seen as an outsider, a sworn enemy of the Jews, so that’s what she was called.

One young woman was seen as dead, so that’s what she was called.

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All of these women are very different. They came from different backgrounds and different ages and different families. But they all have something in common. They were all addressed by what other people saw them as (as previously covered^^^), but Jesus saw them as something else, and by the time they finished their encounter with Him, they were what He saw them as. Take the adulteress, for example. A group of angry religious leaders threw her in the temple, and shouted, “She was caught in the act of adultery, Jesus! Stone her!” They saw her as a sinner who was so irredeemable that the only thing left to do with her was kill her. Jesus didn’t think so. He saw her as a woman in need of mercy, and as she left His presence, that’s exactly what she got. She left, pure and changed and forgiven.

We are often seen as what we do, not who we are. We are called by our mistakes, not our name. But Jesus doesn’t see us that way. He sees us as what we could be, the best version of us. And if we spend time with Him and allow Him to shape us, then He turns us into what He sees us as. That’s the whole point – the person He thinks we are is the person we should strive to be. And we can get there with His help.

YOU ARE WORTH IT

By Grace

I’ve been wanting to write this post for a very long time, because I know that there are a lot of girls who have an unfortunate self-loathing. It breaks my heart to think of a young woman who despises anything about herself – be it her appearance, her voice, her personality, any part of herself.

As a girl who’s grown up in the Bible belt, I have heard and read a lot of sermons, speeches, lectures, and devotionals about a woman’s beauty. They all basically say something along the lines of:

•You are beautifully and fearfully made by God

•You were made exactly how God wanted you to be – He doesn’t make mistakes

•God doesn’t look at your outward appearance – He looks at your heart

•God loves you just the way you are, no matter what you look like

And occasionally, the speaker/author might add:

•Deciding that you hate something about yourself means you think God made a mistake

Now, I agree with every single one of these. You are a beautiful masterpiece made in the image of God. But I have heard all of these over and over and over again to the point where it has become so monotonous that I tune it out. Even if I did decide that I was too ugly and annoying for anyone to like me, these points could no longer help me. It’s just the same thing being shouted at me. So I’m going to present it in a different way.

REASONS YOU SHOULD LOVE YOURSELF

#1: Jesus said to “Love your neighbor AS YOURSELF.” That doesn’t mean to scream profanities at your neighbor; that doesn’t mean starve your neighbor; that doesn’t mean critiquing every part of your neighbor and pointing out everything that is wrong with them. What it DOES mean is accepting them despite their flaws, loving them no matter what they do, supporting them through good and bad, and helping them to become a better person. What it DOES mean is doing the same thing for YOURSELF!

#2: Okay, close your eyes and think of the most beautiful thing in nature. Even if you are not an indoor person (like me), I’m sure you can think of something. A waterfall, a tree in the autumn, a powerful thunderstorm, a freshly bloomed flower – whatever you want! Think of its beauty. Now remember – God made that. While we’re using our imagination, think of the awe that God inspires. Not only did He make the waterfalls, and the trees, and the thunderstorms, and the flowers, He made everything else, too. AND He thinks that you are the most beautiful thing ever. God loves you more than you could ever imagine. And He doesn’t have to.

I know that viewing yourself as anything other than “not good enough” can be hard, especially when other people are telling you something different. But don’t listen to other people – even that includes you. The only person you need to worry about is God.

As I was browsing the internet one day, I came across this quote on tumblr, and I think it’s something everyone needs to hear.

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“The sun isn’t bright because I SAY it is. It just is. It was bright before I even knew the word for bright. I didn’t decide what it is, I ACKNOWLEDGED what it is. You aren’t worth something just because I SAY you are. You just are. You were worth something before I even said anything. I didn’t decide that you are, I ACKNOWLEDGED that you are. This is what I mean when I say, ‘You are worth it.'”

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Love yourself – you’re worth it!