Watching those shows we only get to be a spectator. We have no involvement in the people lives. We become so drawn to them and their stories that we watch week after week. We plan our lives around getting to watch the show or recording it so we can watch it.
What is it that draws us to watch these shows? If we are honest we want to see someone make it so that we can hope that we can make it someday. We want to know that our dreams are not for nothing.
As I am sitting here I have had my eyes opened to what reality really is. The reality is that we live in a world that is full of people who are lost, broken, afraid, hurt, suffering, intimidated and who feel alone. They do not believe that there is any hope for them. They have given up. And the truth is many do not know that there is something better.
When we answered the call to enter into fulltime ministry we knew that there would be challenges and that we would be stretched. We knew we would be humbled and we knew that our own relationship with God would grow if we allowed Him to do what He wanted in and through us. What we were not prepared for was how much loving one person for Christ would affect us and more importantly how much submitting to God would affect those we came to serve.
In the next couple blogs we will introduce you to some of the wonderful people God has allowed us to help. The first person is David.(pictured at the top - drying dishes). This young man has just completed our second training session. He has a wonderful personality and loves God and wants to serve Him with his whole heart. Meeting David you would never guess that he was an alcoholic and a drug abuser. He lived solely for his next drink or high and did not care what it took to get it.
Today David is working fulltime for the Garden Cafe and is continuing to learn more about God. He cannot get enough and as we sat and talked recently he shared that he has begun taking classes with one of the others that completed the program to become a pastor.
Here is what he wrote in a thank you letter to those who helped make the Youth Discipleship and Mentoring program possible.
“Dear Sponsors,
It is with the greatest joy, peace and happiness that I write this letter of thanks to the people that were so generous as to help people they have not met through sponsors.
You dear sponsors have been a complete and absolute blessing. It is comforting to know that there are still people out there who are kind and caring. Today I look at life from another point of view. You have given more than just hope, a life in Christ full of possibilities to be precise. People like you make the world a better place. I pray God blesses you in abundance for you people are truly God sent. If I could just know how to express the gratitude I feel towards you (the sponsors) and the God sent Mr. & Mrs. Duran. But I pray that God keep you in good health and bless you in all areas of your lifes together with those you love. Thank you once more and may God bless you countless times.
David
Being God’s hands and feet is better than any reality show we can or will ever watch. We get to be a part of it ourselves. We get to touch the lives of people. We get to know them and their stories. They get to know our stories. We get to laugh together and we get to cry together.
Being obedient to God is the ultimate reality event and we can be a part of it. All we have to do is tell God I am yours to use any way you choose. Every day we get to live reality and some days are hard but the rewards and the benefits here and in heaven are worth all the cost. Do not pass up your chance to live and experience the reality God has for you.
David is just one of so many that God has brought into our lives. He and the others are why we are here. I invite you and dare you to come experience it for yourselves. I promise you that you will not go home the same person. It is impossible when you allow God to work in and through you.
Stay tuned to hear about another of the wonderful people God has blessed us with.
