FOR THOSE WHO NEVER LEFT

2 Timothy 1:5 (NIV)
I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

                I don’t have a dramatic conversion story. I grew up in the Church and never left. I remember when I prayed to receive Christ as a small child of five, in the basement of our church after Sunday School. I vividly recall the night at camp, sitting by the campfire, when I fully surrendered my life to Christ. I was thirteen. That’s it. I have had my ups and downs along the way, but I never left the camp, so to speak.

                There were times in my life when I felt guilty for not having a more powerful story to tell. I heard stories of people who were caught in the grips of drugs and alcohol, and God miraculously saved them, completely turning their lives around. I listened to people tell how they had lived for themselves, chasing after all the world has to offer, and then they met Jesus and found incredible peace and freedom. I often thought that I have nothing to share in comparison to these people. I wished that I had a better story to tell.

                A few years ago I was talking with someone who has one of those incredible stories of redemption. He had been heading in the wrong direction at full speed. Then he met Jesus and his life was miraculously changed. I expressed my feelings of “evangelistic inadequacy.” He stopped me and said, “Are you kidding? Your story is far more incredible than mine.” I was surprised and a little puzzled. He went on to explain that it’s easy to follow the world. It doesn’t take any courage to fall in line with everyone else. God had to rescue him because he had made a mess of his life; and that was nothing to glory in. The truly incredible story is when someone resists the negative influences and stays true to what they believe.

                I am thankful today that I don’t have an amazing redemption story. Most people who have those stories have paid a high price for them. God does use them, but I don’t believe that it is God’s plan A for life. On the other hand I do not see myself as heroic in any way. My struggles and failures are just not as evident to those around me. In some ways I have stayed true to my faith more out of fear than anything else. I have also discovered the rich inheritance I have in Christ, for which I would not trade anything. When I have faced the challenge of walking away from Christ, I come back to Peter’s words when He was faced with the same choice. “Where else can we go? You have the words of life.”

                For those who have never left Christ’s camp, rejoice in the great gift you have received. You do not have to carry the scars that come from wasted years of running away. You have learned to say “no” even when you have wanted to say “yes.” You have learned the discipline of obedience and perseverance. You have the ability to tap into the wise counsel of God with confidence. You have earned the rewards of faithful service to our King.

                Satan continues to entice us with the excitement of the world. That temporary excitement can never compare to the joy one has from maintaining a long-term relationship with Christ. As I look back over my life, God has blessed me with experiences that I would never had if I had followed the crowd. My world is larger than it ever could have been without Christ. My awareness of Christ’s presence has sustained me even in the most difficult times.

                I will continue to rejoice when I see God rescue a person from the grips of sin and destructive behaviors. That is amazing. But I will rejoice even more over every person who has persevered in their faith in the face of enormous pressure to conform to this world. We don’t have to bear the wounds of a life lived in sin to experience the amazing grace of our Heavenly Father.