Perhaps you have watched a TV show with singers and artist and people with talent. Before each performance, there is a quick 2-3 minute video of the person's life explaining how "I was at a low place, but then I found 'fill in the blank' and now life is all good," At some point, the music will crescendo with a sad, melodic tune and the people will usually begin crying as they tell of this thing that happened to them. Almost as if their talent alone will not get them far enough, they hope the sob story will get people to vote for them week after week. Sadly, we as Christians, myself included, believe this same thought. "Clearly, because my parents are still together, I never went through a rebellious stage and I have never been addicted to any drug, my story is just a story nobody wants to hear." Because of this, less than 2% of Christians have ever shared their faith with someone else. How sad is that? You had a good life, so no one is allowed to know that? It took me several years to realize that the good life I had was the testimony in itself. I could have been a common adolescent who was drinking and smoking by the age of 16, But God.... I could have been born into a dysfunctional family, spending one night with mom and one night with day, But God..... Do you see where I am going with this? Now I am not saying that my life has been perfect in any way. Its had its ups and downs, but God has proved himself faithful through it all. From losing a brother to having to leave a house we grew up in was hard, naturally, but that didn't keep us out of God's hand and in his plan. In fact, it is because of the tests and the pain that I am the person I am today. For some people, God gets to them by giving them a hard past. For others, He shows himself in other ways, like keeping a family together through Thick and Thin. Valley and Mountaintop. Sorrow and Joy. It might be hard to comprehend, but your good life could be the very thing that someone else needs in their own life. They might not need a story of redemption, but a story full of God's grace and mercy throughout you life. Don't devalue the life you have lived just because it is not as colorful as your neighbors. We were all designed to walk our own path. God doesn't want us to focus on the path of another, but to stay the course on our own path set from the beginning of creation. God knew what he was doing when he placed you in your life. Walk in it, and be ready to share it when the time comes.
Adam Semple- A Young Man on a Mission From God
*photo credit- pinterest.com
