Let’s Get Busy

Matt, like many college students, has returned home for the summer, leaving my heart full. The gift of his health and his time at home cause me to linger longer, listen more intensely and rejoice more fully.

One morning last week, Matt and I were sitting together enjoying our coffee and I asked him how his prayer life has changed since his illness and recovery. His reply took me by surprise.

“Obviously I am more grateful these days. But clearly, it’s by God’s grace that I am still here so I just ask Him, ‘What do you need from me today?’”

Matt’s words immediately touched my heart. First, because I was reminded me how grateful I am to God for His deep connection to Matt. A thousand times I’ve thought that it would be fair for Matt to be bitter and angry about the suffering he endured. I’ve thought how easy it would for him to be depressed about the brokenness of this world and the impact it has on us all. Instead, I have gotten to celebrate how it all seems to have drawn Matt deeper in his faith.

And in this response, the wisdom of Matt’s words inspired me. Matt realizes that it was God and God alone who saved him from the death of cancer. In this prayer, he acknowledges it and responds with a desire for God to use him to accomplish His plan.

I was challenged by Matt’s clarity. Do I believe this was also true for my life? Do I see how God has saved me from death? Do I consider that every breath of my life was an undeserving gift? See, not all of us get cancer or some other near-death experience, but don’t we all need to be saved from the overwhelming impacts of living in this broken world. Living in light of this truth leads us to gratitude and a heart ready to respond out of it.

Ephesians 2:10-11 from The Message puts it this way, “God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing. But don’t take any of this for granted.”

God has saved us because He has work for us to do. Not because He NEEDS us to do it, but because He WANTS us to join in this mission of reuniting heaven and earth in the hearts of all who know Jesus.

Thanks Matt for reminding me that God has purposed us for great things today and everyday.

Photo credit: Laura Rowe