My New Family
When I became a follower of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on February 11th, 2013, I was in the honeymoon stage. I wanted nothing more than to make up to the Lord everything I have done wrong to Him in the past 25 years of my life. I was so excited to get to know Him more and to grow closer to Him in my new walk of life. I was on FIRE for the Lord. Then a month went by, I began to realize a lot of people I considered my friends no longer understood me, no longer had things in common with me, no longer wanted to hang out with a Jesus Freak. I became very lonely. Then I read a verse in Job that reads, “The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.” So I thought to myself, okay Lord, you gave me all these friends that I thought I needed to be happy, but now you have taken them away. I’m okay with that. Then I read another verse, Matthew 21:22, “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” After I read this I began to pray, “Lord, I understand that you have taken away my friends for a reason, but I’m lonely. All powerful God, can you bring me some new friends that love you and that will encourage me and bring me strength in my walk with you?” I truly believed that the Lord heard my prayer and would answer my request, I just didn’t know when this would happen.
Then, on October 12th, 2013, I met 50 people (give or take) that had huge hearts for the Lord. God completely blew me away. I began to see the joy and love of the people that the Lord had blessed me with. 1 John 4:10-12 says, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning Sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love on another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” These 50 people were filled with so much love it was almost incomprehensible. The love that I received over that one week of training camp was God’s love shining through each and every person of Y-squad. It was just wanted I needed and I thought it was God answering my prayer, but He did me one better. Instead of giving me new friends like I had asked for, He gave me a new family and for that I am forever grateful.
Love you Y-squad. I can’t wait to get to know each of you better throughout this next year and see how God completely blows us away by transforming our hearts and minds to the way that He has called us to live. Lets knock the socks off of the people we meet by showing them the Love of Jesus Christ that lives through us.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”
1 CORINTHIANS 13:4-8
