Part of my Story

Two weeks ago I was sitting in church.  I have only been to this church a few other times. There was nothing special about that Sunday. There I was, at 9:30 am, with my roommate and my friend that is like my "little sister".   In short, the sermon was about grace. How we all make mistakes, and have dark moments in our lives.  But it is in those dark moments and those mistakes that we see Christ the most clearly or hear him clear as day.  The sermon ended with a performance of "By Your Side" by Tenth Avenue North.  I adore this song, and it has been in my head for months now.  Here are the lyrics:

Why are you striving these days

Why are you trying to earn grace

Why are you crying

Let me lift up your face

Just don't turn away

Why are you looking for love

Why are you still searching as if I'm not enough

To where will you go child

Tell me where will you run

To where will you run

And I'll be by your side

Wherever you fall

In the dead of night

Whenever you call

And please don't fight

These hands that are holding you

My hands are holding you

Look at these hands and my side

They swallowed the grave on that night

When I drank the world's sin

So I could carry you in

And give you life

I want to give you life

(Chorus 2x)

Cause I, I love you

I want you to know

That I, I love you

I'll never let you go

Fast forward to a few days later. I am in a staff meeting talking to one of my co-workers that goes to that same church.  He asks me what service I went to, and I tell him the early one, 9:30 am.  

"Oh, well you didn't hear the story about the man then?"

And this is me....."ummm, no, what story?"

He goes on to recount the 11 am service.  The pastor ends the sermon with the following story. 

"After the first service was over, a man approached and came up to me. I didn't recognize him, first time I had seen him.  He introduces himself to me and asks if I have a minute.  Of course I say, showing him over to a quiet corner. The man starts to talk about how the sermon and the words of the song touched his heart and changed him.  But that wasn't it. He then says that he had a gun in his car, in the parking lot, our parking lot. He was going to use it that morning after church. He was going to kill himself and said he wanted to take some other people with him. But because of that song and that sermon, God changed something in this guy, that will change his life."

That guy could have easily come into that church service, and followed through on his plan. I was in that church and at that service.  That few seconds could have drastically changed my life forever and everyone else's life in that building.  

I have heard similar stories from other people, read them in books and heard miraculous stories of God's power and faithfulness from big time pastors.  That was there story and now it is part of my story. 

God moves in amazing ways every single day.  He moved in the heart of one man, and completely altered the rest of his day.  In fact, completely altered the rest of the day for every single person in that building at the 9:30 am service.  

This is now part of my story.  Part of the story of an ordinary 25 year old.   More than ever, I know that God is faithful in the small details and major events.  More than ever, I have hope.  Hope in the small details and in the major events.  More than ever I have joy. Joy for every blessing and day.