I love getting little reminders of God's love in the most unexpected places.
Today I was sitting at a nurses' station at work, catching up on paperwork and waiting for my next patient to finish with a procedure. I looked up to see a group of teenage students, handing out candy and flowers. Their teacher explained to me that they were visiting the hospital to learn to pray for people, and could they pray for me?
Then she told me, "I can just tell you're a Christian and a praying person. Your whole face lit up when I asked if we could pray for you."
That's just the best complement a girl can get! Even better than my flower and chocolate :).
This was exactly the reminder I needed this week. I need to remember as a Christian, I am called to stand out from the world. The past year, and especially the month of April, have been really tough for me, but awesome for my faith journey and learning to fully rely on God. He's asked me to step out in faith in some big and frightening ways, to live a life very different from that of the world around me. It's been a year of trials, sorrows and triumphs, and a whole lotta prayer...and I wouldn't change one bit of it.
Unfortunately, I (and maybe you too) forget too easily whose we are. Honestly, today I feel too run down to celebrate my identity as a child of God. Living in the daily humdrum of the world, we think other people can't tell that we are different, and definitely not always why we're different. Yes, we live lives that are testimonies to God, but I can't always openly witness at work (and in other situations) without facing retribution for proselytizing. I fear I too often come across not as the confident, intelligent Christian I know I am, but a quiet, quirky girl with unusual habits that don't make sense in our highly secular culture.
The past year has slowly taught me to find peace and rest in knowing that I unequivocally belong to God. Today was just the icing on the cake to know that others, strangers even, can tell.
So I'm going to keep praying, keep growing, and keep learning. I'm going to keep looking for the small opportunities to share my faith, to love, to serve, to give generously, to be Jesus in this amazing but broken world.
Because folks are watching, waiting to see our Jesus. Let's show Him!
: )
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