WOW

I feel the need to really brag on God.
These past couple of weeks He has really been working in my life in more ways than I can even recall at the moment.
Just last week, I had the opportunity to be involved in an open discussion in my English Literature class. We had been reading The Slave Narrative of Olaudah Equiano the previous week. This book is written of an African American slave who was a Christian and how the Sovereignty of God is evident through his tribulations. One of the male students in my class stated, "I hated this book....Every other statement was God this, and God that. There was too much God in it for me." At that moment, I just knew that was who God wanted me to speak to. I just pinpointed him right there. The following week we read Frankenstein and were discussing the religious parallels. The same male student had a presentation due that day. His presentation was about bringing the dead to life, stem cell research, and things of that nature. After he had spoke of his feelings towards these issues and spoke about his past that dealt with this things, he opened the floor for discussion. In the beginning no one was really up for a discussion so they all sat quietly. The male student then states, "I'm just waiting for some really conservative Christian to try and say something." That just made my blood boil. The girl that sat next to me and also myself immediately raised our hands at this remark. He called on her first and she stated that she did not support stem cell research because she believes that things happen due to the will of God. Next, it was my turn. I started out with saying that I agreed with her but I can also understand the intentions of stem cell research but that I do not support it. I said that the previous health issues this male student endured was because God had predestined him to go through that tribulation to make him a stronger person. I said, "you can't look at me and say that those moments of doubt and anger did not have an impact on your behavior or attitude on life, but made you more grateful and appreciative of the life you have today." He shook his head and agreed. I then proceeded to say that I believe God is the author and creator of life and that He designs us each with certain abilities and disabilities. If God had not given a down syndrome child the ability to love unconditionally and stronger than most other human beings, another person would not experience the joy that love can bring into their life. If God has not shown His grace to us by dying on a cross for your and my sins, then we would not be where we are today. My professor then stepped in and began to speak on her feelings and it was amazing because she agreed with me and even elaborated more on some things that I said. When I was in high school I would have been very hesitant to step up, speak out, and defend my beliefs. I would have sat back and let someone else take a "beating" by the words of another. BUT praise God that HE gave me the opportunity and courage to share this with my entire college Lit class.

Just this week God gave me another opportunity to share the gospel, but with a third grader at my work. The young boy was making a cross out of melt-a-beads. As I was watching on, I just simply asked, "What are you making?" He replied, "a cross." I was like well yeah duh..ha but I wanted him to elaborate more. So I then said, "Oh well that looks great bud! Can you tell me what you know about the cross?" He said that it was used to ward off evil things. I was taken back by this honestly. I'm not going to lie, I watch A Haunting on Discovery channel most days before I go into work and so I figured maybe he had seen something along those lines and how a cross is used in exercising a home and keeping it safe. I said a quick prayer asking God to give me the words to speak to him so that he would clearly understand what I was saying. I then began, "Ok...do you know anything else about it? Maybe like, who died on it?" He kind of hesitated and was like "umm...yyeaahh?....that one guy...?" This totally shocked me. I had heard stories about kids in my community who had never heard even the name of Jesus, but I was totally blind that the children I knew didn't know it! I felt so awful....about myself...that I didn't take the time sooner to speak to him and many other children about their heavenly Father. I then began to try and break down the gospel to where he would comprehend but in the end I'm not so sure that he really understood. Ever since this day it has just been on my heart to reach out to him and the other children in my group. I truly love each of these kids and want them to be able to experience the kind of love that Christ has shown to me and that is the ONLY reason why I can love them. I am so blessed to have the opportunity to talk about Christ at my job and not having the risk of losing it.
Christ is continually giving me these many opportunities, it just took me 19 years to really open my eyes and make the most of them as Christ has called us to do!