I don't know why this has been on my mind lately, but it has so here goes. I always remember being in youth group and hearing crispy critter stories ("I was so close to hell..." "I was sleeping in the gutter,"" I did so many drugs", etc.) and thinking to myself "boy if I had a good story like that and I saw firsthand what God could do for me, I would really believe." That thinking was flawed in so many ways, but alas that's what being young is all about I guess.
First, my testimony is that I didn't have to go through all that junk. God saved my parents and changed their lives long before I came along, and they brought me up to know and follow God. He was good to me before I was even born by providing me with good parents. As I was growing up, I knew other kids in our church and youth group that did all the horrible things (sex, drugs, you name it) the crispy critters did, but God chose to reveal himself to me in no uncertain terms before I got to those stages. I wanted to follow God when I could have started down a very different path. Testimony number one is that God has saved me from so much destruction and so many horrible experiences in the first place.
Second, my foundation has been firm. This kind of dovetails with the first one. Because I didn't have those horrible times of life -- for which I am eternally grateful -- it would be easy to think that God hadn't really been "tested." I'd have to agree that I didn't have a dramatic story. I still don't really have one. If you get thrown out of the airplane and the parachute opens just as it should, it's scary but not catastrophic. Losing a son has been a kick to the heart, and like getting thrown out of a plane you don't have much say in the matter and you'll take all the help you can get. We could not have carried ourselves, but when God shows up, cradles us, takes care of us like never before, like we knew he would, it is no fun at all but still not the end of the world. It hasn't been without uncertainty, outright fear, grief and lots of crying, but our life hasn't crumbled, our faith hasn't cratered, our marriage is strong and our life continues with hope.
God can do incredible restoration with crispy critters, but God can also protect, cradle and guide hearts submitted to Him. So, I think a life of hope and faith is just as dramatic a testimony to the power of God. My personal testimony right now is that we do not grieve like the rest of men who have no hope.
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2 comments:
Thank you, Micah, for your words. The pastor at our church (with whom I have shared your essay and your blog) says a neat benediction for our services that echoes what you are saying in this post. It goes something like this:
"Go now, and as you go, remember:
By the grace of God, we were born into this world;
By the power of God, we have been held all the day long, even unto this very hour;
And by the love of God, fully revealed in the face of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we are being redeemed."
Our prayers continue to be with you all. We love you!
glad you shared this. good to read. i lead a small group at the "United" summer camp at camp WOW a few weeks ago. i had 9 middle school girls who were all, first hand, going through things i didn't even know about at that age. three of them had lost a best friend in a terrible car accident earlier in the year. This girl was in their small grou pand church and went to their school. thing was, they were still going through the first stage(s) of grief over this girl... talking not to God, but to HER when they were sad... feeling guilty abuut doing things without her... and crying over her at the drop of a hat. i wanted to share something inspirational and comforting, but i had nothing. that 1 Thessalonians 4:13 verse is all there is to say. bless you, friend.
Mandi Holmes
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