One of those "God stories"

This story is told purely as a witness to the amazing power of the one and only God that created us. It is my account of the first experience in my life when I remember strongly feeling the Holy Spirit move me to see, hear and feel the amazing love of God. At a time in my life when it would have been easy to stray from where I know God wanted me to be, He provided the direction and guidance to keep me set on a certain path; His path. Pushing aside all other aspirations, this experience opened my eyes to the only thing I truly desire in my life, and that is to be with Jesus. And when you realize something that powerful, you can't help but want to share it with others. I pray that if people read this story they know that God works in many mysterious ways. Just because you may not see yourself standing in front of Him does not mean He is absent in your life, for God is always present.

Two years ago I went on a Confirmation Retreat with my youth pastor Reece and a few other members and kids from my church. While we were there, in one of our prayer exercises Reece read verses from John chapter 1 to tell a story, to challenge us to imagine that we were walking with Christ and to be silent and form our own response to the scripture. So we closed our eyes and Reece read....

Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?”

That night when we had some time to be with ourselves and with God I wrote down my own reflection. This was my exact response... even though it pains me not to make any corrections.

October 22, 2010

“I felt God. I felt like I was with Him, like He was standing right in front of me. And when He asked me what I wanted, I knew the answer right away. I am surprised at how sure of myself I was. I am. I want to be with Jesus. I want to walk with Him and love Him forever. I want nothing more than to know Him and for the first time I believe myself. I truly believe that my heart’s deepest desire is to walk with Him. I’ve never felt so sure of what I want in life. I want to feel like this every time I pray, like Jesus is standing in front of me welcoming me to follow Him. I know that this won’t be how I feel every single time I pray to Him but now I know how real my love for Him is. It’s not just something I say to people, it’s something I feel with undoubted certainty. I love Jesus and want nothing more than to follow Him. This is my purpose; my calling: to dedicate my life to following Jesus and walking in His light. I have faith in Him, that He will show me the ways to go and lead others and I can’t wait to share my experience with others. I felt Jesus. I felt Him inside of me. He is real. This is real. The love I have for Him is real. Amen.”

When you encounter the love of God, your life is never the same.