Rarely in my life have I ever met someone quite like him. He
was opinionated, a slight outcast so to speak, and wasn’t a huge fan of many
people. He never really “fit in”, though I don’t think he ever truly wanted to.
I was helping lead a mission trip to Orlando the first time
I met him. Andrew was a big 15 year old, one with attitude. Not the kind of
angry attitude that you are afraid of, but the spunky attitude that made him
funny yet hard to love.
Our kids at the end of that mission trip, like many trips, were
amped up about Jesus. That’s not a bad thing, but I think it is often times an
Illusion to think they will stay on fire for God. So, hoping to keep them amped
up I took them all to Taco Bell for a taco eating contest, to which I would
give a brief talk on “Binging on Jesus”, a challenge to remember to eat again
in the future.
The contest was simple; 15 tacos in 15 minutes, most tacos
ingested wins $100. Andrew won! As the 15 minute timer struck 15 minutes,
Andrew swallowed down his 15th taco. The crowd went wild, and for
weeks we laughed about how sick he looked and how impressive that was.
3 years later, that story often comes up when I talk with
Andrew. It was a shining moment in his history, a moment in which he dominated,
in which he shined, and he LOVES to tell that story.
In late Feb. Pastor Vic shared a message on Mark 1:40-45,
and then shared his story. It was probably the most memorable sermon I have
heard at this church yet.
In the passage, a leper is healed. The leper then proceeds
to tell EVERYONE about what Jesus did in his life, to the point that Jesus would
have been mobbed upon entering the city because he had grown to be so popular.
There was something so moving about the leper’s story that Jesus was something
to crave.
We too have a story. A story about an encounter with a
living God, who loves us, heals us, frees us, forgives us, challenges us,
builds us, and so much more. Each story is unique and each is a story of power.
They are stories that make us laugh, cry, and rejoice. They are stories that
bring a hunger to others for a story of their own.
So, what is your story? Perhaps your story is just
beginning? Perhaps your story is 20, 40, 60 years in the making? Either way,
you have a story to tell. It is one of power and one of grace; a story that has
the ability to change lives.
Take some time this month, remember your story. Write it
down in a journal, share it with a friend, or tell your barber as you get your
hair trimmed up this week. You have words written with in you that are bound to
change lives, but will only do so if you take the risk and share your story…
