My Encounter With Jesus


Throughout Lent, I thought a lot about what life would have been like when Jesus was on earth. Great multitudes came to see him and hear him talk, but how did they find him? It’s not like Jesus hopped on Facebook and created an event and he didn’t check in with Mary on the phone to let her know he was in Jerusalem for the month. 

Thousands of people sought after Jesus to hear his stories and learn from his lessons. And today, we can do the same. Although Jesus now resides in heaven, we are still able to seek him and find him. 

But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.  (Deuteronomy 4: 29)


A week ago, I was not actively seeking God, but I found him. I was on my way to Aldi’s to do some shopping and as I turned onto one of the busy roads in town, I passed a colorfully painted school bus in the parking lot of Walmart. Now this may not be exciting to you, but I dream about the day I can turn a school bus into my home. Even as a child, when people asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up, I told them; “be a ballerina and live in an RV.” I have just always loved the idea of living in a portable home. I turned around and as I pulled up near the bus, I saw a barefooted man with dreadlocks playing catch with his dog. I knew my dreams were coming true!  I got out and asked if he lived in the bus and he explained that he was one of the few hitchhikers and the owner was still inside. So they invited me in and we got to talking. They told me stories that I needed to hear. I was taught a lesson that day and I realized Jesus led me to this bus to teach me a lesson. So for me, Jesus was a dumpster-diving girl who lives on her bus, picks up hitchhikers with dreadlocks and tattoos covering their faces and takes in stray dogs and 9 puppies. That day, I was too distracted to seek Jesus, but He called me exactly in a way that I would answer to him. 

So, let us remember that because of Jesus’ death on the cross and his resurrection, we have access to him all the time. All we have to do is seek him with all our heart and soul.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dare to be Different

I remember my last Christmas with my family before I got married and moved out of state. Actually, I should say I remember the gifts from that Christmas. I remember the gifts just as clearly as when I received a keyboard with a built in DJ kit when I was 7, but I digress. What did I receive? I got a Selah CD with songs from their time living in Africa as missionaries. I got a small silver bell so that every time I heard its ring, I would remember my family. I got a cool paisley shirt, a Hebrew-Greek study Bible and a silver necklace with a charm that read Dare to be Different. Gifts are not my love language, but looking back, these gifts played a crucial part of my life that would bring me to where I am now. Looking back, I know that my parents were giving me tools to follow Jesus on my own as they released me into adulthood.  Much of the symbolism from these gifts still follow me today, but not as much as the Dare to be Different necklace. Growing up, I always knew that God set me...
Read more

God Always Provides What You Need

Image
I knew once we began school, life would be busy and we would get into a routine and life would feel "normal." We have been in Haiti for one month and there is still so much I need to learn. Kreyol: Next week I will officially begin my Kreyol lessons so I can speak with teachers, staff, people at the market, neighbors et al. Not only do I want to communicate with people, but I want to show Haitians that I am making an effort to assimilate to their culture and not impose mine. Shawn has a good understanding of French (and a lot of courage) which helps him. Abigail is learning French along with her classmates and Keenen has been working on counting in Kreyol. Driving: I have only driven as far as the school which is about a mile and half. I should venture into town, but my fear of causing a lot of car accidents stops me.  People: One month is not long enough to understand a culture. I am still learning my role as a missionary in a country with a deep-rooted history. On t...
Read more

You May Say I'm a Dreamer (But I'm Not the Only One)

Image
My life is really great. I have never starved. I have always had a roof over my head. I have a loving family. I have a supportive community. The few times I have gone through difficult periods in my life, I have gotten through all of them. Well, I didn't do it on my own; it was God who has gotten me this far and has provided more than I ever could imagine. It is the reminders of how God has gotten me this far that keeps me going. It is His promises that encourage me to keep believing-- to keep dreaming--about tomorrow. I know we are quarantined in our homes. I know most countries' borders are closed. I know the economy is rough right now. But I keep dreaming anyway. It was at the Global Leadership Summit (GLS) in 2016 that I realized we were destined for Global Missions. So last week, when I was beginning to think I should be more of a realist rather than a dreamer, I watched a video from that GLS of Jossy Chacko speaking and in it he said, " don't let the earth...
Read more