For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. -1 Corinthians 2:2
I was sprinting out of the auditorium that had been screening the Passion of the Christ at the church camp my foster family had sent me to as a last-ditch effort to give me some direction. It could have been the pain I saw on Jesus’ face while He carried the cross, or the unbelievable rage people had for Him, or the way He called out to God exclaiming, “why have you forsaken me?” that caused the flight response. But soon I landed myself in a nearby field and screamed as loud as I could so God could hear me.
I was so angry with Him that He would take my mom from me and change my life into what felt like a nightmare. In that moment and in so many moments before it, I felt completely and utterly alone. It was then that I had an encounter with the living God. I felt Him take my heart and heard Him say, “I love you. Your mom is with me. And if you follow me, your life will be more than you could ever imagine. Trust me and follow me.” I felt this warmth that came from a sun that wasn’t physically present; I felt held with nothing physically touching me; I could hear God with no sound. I had never understood faith until that instant.
I have clung to the love I felt God had for me in that field every day since then. I cling to the truth that He will neither leave me nor forsake me because I am His.
During Lent, we come back to the resurrection because that is the miracle and the hope that our faith resides in, but when we feel we have heard this story before and it starts to lose its luster, remember this: God did not send His Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it through Him. I am saved, and I am loved because of Jesus.
Kelsey Paul, LifeLight Worship Leader and Director of Arts Education
