Jul
29th
By
Theresa
Incredible as it may seem, I am still amazed how God opens doors
and cultivates friendships in the most unique ways. For instance, a
year ago I attended a weekend women’s conference at Southeast
Christian Church in Louisville, KY. A dear friend, that I met over
twenty years ago while teaching fitness classes at our local YMCA,
accompanied me. My initial meeting with this friend provoked
thoughts of, “she may be a little too happy.” As time passed and I
got to know her better, I began to recognize she didn’t change; she
was always happy regardless of the circumstances or situations in
her personal life. After all these years, she is still wild and
crazy in love with Jesus Christ; filled with the Holy Spirit 24/7.
She is like a geyser at Yellowstone, splashing the joy of the Lord
on everyone within shouting distance. When you are in her presence,
prepare to be loved and feel special. She is bubbling with joy
continually, so much joy, those that do not know her question her
sanity. While standing in the lobby of this magnificent church, I
overheard the whispers of attendees who questioned if my friend
could possibly be drunk. Laughing silently I watched my friend
interact with those who judged her without knowing her. She joked
with them and slugged them gently in the shoulder and then gave
each of them a big hug. Watching the facial expressions of some of
those ladies, I pulled her aside and told her that I needed a
strong cup of coffee. The smell of fresh brewed cocoa beans was
calling my name. My friend was not interested in coffee as she
scurried away into the church book store. The line for coffee was
quite long and several minutes passed without much progress except
for an increased appetite for the fresh brewed cup of joy. My
friend returned and instantly started pulling on my arm, insisting
that we go back to the book store before the conference started
again. It was at that point that I understood the condition of
vapors; it’s the repeated smell of fresh coffee without ever
getting to drink the coffee. Arm in arm, along with my vapors, we
entered the bookstore and my friend quickly, and rather loudly
announced, that my book needed to be made available in this
bookstore. The quiet lady standing behind the counter looked
puzzled (no surprise) as my friend explained joyfully that I had
written a book and that it needed to be in their store for others
to read. As I nervously fanned myself, the store worker calmly told
her that their manager was not in the store and that maybe we
should check back later. Just as God had planned it, the manager
walked in and wanted to know what all the commotion was about. My
friend gladly explained who I was and told her she needed my book
in their book store. I stood there embarrassed not knowing what to
say after my friends’ grandiose introduction of me. The manager
politely asked for my business card and said she would get in
contact with me at a later date. Making a bee line out of the store
with my friend giggling and praising God, I headed back towards the
coffee shop, this time fully in need of a strong cup of coffee. My
friend kept saying to me, “I told you God wants your book in that
store.” Honestly, I didn’t think I would hear back from the church
book store manager. Two weeks later I received an email from the
manager asking me to send my products for review. A month later my
book and DVD’s were being sold in their church book store. Telling
my friend the good news, she wasn’t surprised at all. She praised
God over the phone and sang a song for me. From this door of
opportunity my book was selected as their book of the month and I
was asked to be a guest speaker at their church. My friendship with
the book store manager continued to develop by email and we were
able to see each other in person on my recent trip to St Louis. She
was on fire for Jesus and explained that she would soon be moving
to Charleston South Carolina to minister to those who do not know
Jesus Christ as their Savior. She was giving up her position at the
church and she and her husband were selling their home at the end
of summer. I asked what prompted her and her husband to give up
their great jobs in Louisville and pack up and move to a place she
wasn’t familiar with. She explained that she had read a book,
“Crazy Love,” by Francis Chan and that it totally changed her life.
After reading the book she started asking herself, “Is this the
most loving way to do life? Am I loving my neighbor and my God by
living where I live, by driving what I drive, by talking how I
talk, by working where I work?” She said a lot more and I knew that
she was in Gods’ will, without a doubt. She and her family were
willing to leave their comfortable jobs and nice homes to minister
to those they didn’t even know. WOW! I decided to purchase the
book, Crazy Love for myself and find out what this author writes
that transformed my friends’ life. One of the questions the author
asks is, “Do you live as though faith, demonstrated through love,
really is the only thing that counts?” Personally speaking, I can
honestly say I do a poor job of loving others the way God calls us
to love. According to the Word of God loving others allows us to be
free. I don’t feel so free at times in my Christian life, do you?
In the book of Galatians 5:13-14 Paul writes, “You, my brothers,
were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the
sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is
summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Crazy Love is also making a difference in my life; I don’t want to
be a luke warm Christian claiming Christ’s name and not walking my
talk. I know I must be willing to change more each day and draw
closer to Christ if I want to live a life pleasing to God. I ask
God daily to help me love Him first and then love others
unconditionally. This is an ongoing process that I have not
mastered but I will continue praying and loving.
