Every year for the past four years, I have spent spring break in Panama City Beach, Florida talking to people on the beaches about spiritual things. Every year, God shows up in powerful ways in my life and in the lives of people out on the beaches. This year was no exception.
To be completely honest, though, I was feeling more than a little discouraged when I got there last Sunday. My frustration was definitely for ridiculous reasons...I'm a pretty emotional person, which is something I have to struggle with, and Satan definitely knows what to tell me to make me feel as insecure as possible. And in the spirit of complete honesty, I would have to say even now that all is said and done that this year was not, socially speaking, the most fun week I've had there. I had certain expectations of how things should be, and God totally disregarded them. (How dare he disregard my plans, right?)
In the moments where I felt the most frustrated and the most insecure, however, I could feel God reminding me that the important thing was Him and reaching people with His love and His gospel. I realized that I needed to refocus on the real mission I was on. And you know what? I still had an amazing time, because it is so good to be doing God's will, regardless of other circumstances that aren't exactly what I want them to be. I still struggled with some emotional ups and downs throughout the week, but I realized how true it is that by sharing my faith I have a fuller understanding of every good thing I have in Christ. Unless I come face to face with what life is like without God, it's hard to really understand how much better life is with God. It's easy for me to get stuck in a little Christian bubble where we sit around and discuss how God is working in our lives, forgetting to remember and failing to care about those who don't yet have what we have. Only when I step back and look at what's happening outside of the little pseudo-Eden that I've created by surrounding myself with only Christian friends do I realize the power of God for transforming lives and the incredible gift that I am hording by not being active in sharing my faith.
So God has put the same prayer on my heart as he put on Paul's heart so long ago...I, too, pray that you (and I) would be active in sharing our faith, because it brings a new level of understanding of all the incredible things we have in Christ and because there is no greater joy than to bring those same gifts to other people who, like us, are in desperate need of our Savior.
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