Light in the Darkness
I’ve spent the past several days writing, but for some reason, I cannot finish what I try to write.
The past several weeks of being away from the things that I was clinging to for normalcy has finally been given to me. I say ‘finally’ because for the longest time, I have been postponing the things that truly matter — some for many, many…many years, and one of them is what I will be talking about right now.
As many people use this time for many things like catching up with friends and family, catching up with the latest season of Boku no Hero, or that video game that has been gathering dust in one’s backlog, I felt compelled to do less of those things, and instead…craft a gift through my love for storytelling.
I do not know if anyone will ever read this. Or maybe later down the line. But before proceeding, I must put a disclaimer here. As you read this, this will instil many polarizing thoughts and feelings. I know, because my entire life, I had the same feelings. But I pray you continue to read on, but I will not force you to do so.
I started to write last Sunday (today’s April 2, 2020). I was writing about how this year — 2020 — was just not it. I wrote of the darkness that is going on in the world, and the serious waves that it has produced. How the monoliths of society; our mortal, human efforts and goals of the future we try our hardest to make…all of it has been brought into an abrupt halt by something microscopic. Suddenly, our eyes have been averted away from the things that we strive for. Suddenly, the thing that we and our flesh crave for…has been snatched away in an instant. We went to bed one evening, expecting that the norm will be waiting for us in the morning; that we will have breath in our lungs. But as we awake, things are not what we have expected it to be. Suddenly, the very air we take for granted is now the centre of fear for many — it would even suffice to say — for the entire world. Some…didn’t even have breath to wake up at all.
But as I spent all those hours painting a more elaborate painting of the above (I’ve wrote 19 minutes worth of content), something — someone — put my thoughts and words on pause. It was 1:30AM on the early morning the Monday after. Despite my urge to further write was at an all-time high, I stopped. I closed my laptop, said a prayer, and then went to bed. Four days later, here I am writing this, with no real script and just letting things flow.
There once was a father with two sons who lived in a huge estate in the country side and had great fortune. The father loved both of his sons equally and had both of them in his will to inherit it once he passes on from the world.
However, one of the sons decided that he won’t wait for his dear old dad to keel over and bite the dust in order to get his inheritance, so he went to his father and demanded he give his inheritance to him that very moment.
Although saddened by this harsh request, the father gave in to his son’s demand since his love for him after all trumps everything else — even his son’s lack of love for him in return.
So the son then took his inheritance, left his father and brother and took the high road to the big bright lights of the city and lived lavishly. He spent it all on what made the flesh sing. Drugs, alcohol, food, cars, women; all the vices one can name, he had it all. Live young, die fast. The world’s power and respect was his. He felt invincible, and the world seemingly sat in the palm of his hand.
My life…has been interesting. It still is. Even before growing into an adult, it had been that way. The past several weeks had made me taken a look back from when I was an innocent child to when I’ve reached my teenage years and eventually to where I am now. It will take more than one blogpost to tell my life story (hopefully in the coming days), but to give you a quick snapshot of it, it hasn’t really been like most people growing up. I mean, I am sure that it is very unique for everyone, but my life and my family has gone through unique experiences.
I was born in the Philippines to my beautiful parents that had a fervent Christian faith, but grew up most of my young life in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, at a time where the practise of any kind of religion is not allowed aside from what they allow. My brother was born there three years after me. But despite the strict nature of the country, somehow my family survived and their faith got stronger despite the dangers. They’ve survived a time of war and even terror. Nonetheless they persevered, and they eventually decided the life-altering decision to move to a totally different country: Canada.
I was raised in the Christian faith. I was taught about the God, Jesus, the Bible and its teachings. I knew pretty much everything there is about it due to Sunday School, Youth groups and family devotions. I took upon the label “christian” but, as I look back, I never really truly believed in any of it. I will even say that I was agnostic and merely had that label in my pocket out of either necessity or superstition. I went through all the religious rituals of baptism and prayer, but I only did it in order to please and obey my parents. I tried to live the “holy” life by religiously doing what I was taught, but the more I tried to put in the effort, the farther I started to drift. To make things worse, I saw my parents get persecuted by those they thought were their church and family, and I saw the hypocrisy that was rampant with not only the youth that I was hoping to grow with, but also through their parents. The pain that my parents went through at first did not become apparent until when I started to grow older. And with that, the anger and resentment went with me.
I started to hate the church. I started to hate people in general. Ironically to many, I seemed like a likeable, personable guy. I would be natural when it comes to being the centre of conversation in social settings. I would make people laugh, and people would even say that I should become a comedian. But when I get to be alone, I was miserable. I felt angry and alone. I was depressed. I had trust issues. I started to despise God, and blamed Him for this psychological torment that I was going through. I would blame someone that I believed did not exist for the most trivial of things. This went on for years; my entire life even. But when it comes to game time, I would put on a stoic façade, because “I am a man, I should act like a man.” As the years went by, I would indulge in many carnal things. I moved away from home and started to spend my money recklessly, I started drinking and smoking a ton, I became lustful and would find myself in places that I knew I shouldn’t be in. I was chest-deep in what many religious people would call sin.
When I was indulging to my own wants and selfish desires, it felt amazing. It felt great and satisfying…until the comedown brings you back to the grim reality of life. I feel empty, and remorseful…I felt so guilty, and there would be times where I would look to my religious upbringing for answers. I did not find it there. So the vicious cycle repeats itself, to the point that even the “harmless” thoughts of ending it all started to get louder in my head.
Sounds familiar to some doesn’t it?
After many years of the wayward son living a life of reckless debauchery and abandon, a great depression hit. The economy was hit so hard, that even money does not even amount to the paper that it is printed on. He tried so hard to find a job, survive and make ends meet, but to no avail. He eventually ended up working in a pig farm by the outskirts of the city feeding the pigs. Since he had no money, and nothing can buy him food, his hunger was taking its toll on his health and sanity, that he started to even eat the food that the pigs were eating.
“Maybe I should go back to Dad…” He thought to himself. “If I do, maybe he will take me in as one of his employees, and I am totally fine with being disowned and not be called his son. It was all my fault anyways. If I could do that, maybe it will all work out.” So the son left the pig farm and trekked the long, arduous way back home.
Fast-forward to my young adult years. I was blessed beyond measure: I had a great job that sustained me, I had a family that loves me, I had friends that supported me. But I did not see any of it. I worked hard with my own strength, and did not ask help from others. I believed in my own wisdom, and in the process started to actually do bad at work. I started to have less rein on my emotions and I would let it show in my professional life. Outside of it, my lust for life blinded me from all of the things that I ought to be grateful for. I would surround myself with the wrong crowd, and find no solace in them. I would try to find inspiration and peace in fictional stories and characters, but they were temporary. I still had much hate and pain in my heart to realize all of this. I took everything for granted, and I even alienated people that cared for me. My faith was a shell of its former self. I prayed but I doubted. I would look upon the cross, but didn’t really grasp what it was all about, and who was hanging on those two wooden beams. I knew His name was Jesus, but I did not know Him.
One cold Sunday November morning, I was in bed from a hangover the night before. I rarely got those, but that morning was pretty bad. My whole room looked like a hurricane passed through and laid waste on it. I was empty on the inside, and depressed. I reeked of weed and alcohol. I was having this weird internal conversation with myself, and this God I wasn’t so sure was real or not. Nonetheless, I pulled my phone up and started looking for a church. As I was browsing for nearby ones, one of my roommates texted me.
“Do you wanna go to church?”
Taken aback, I thought to myself “how did she…know I wanted to…?”
“What coincidence, I literally was thinking of just doing that…” I replied.
I agreed, and we went to a nearby church.
The church was a few minutes drive from our place called C3 Toronto. As I entered the high-school auditorium-turned-sanctuary, I was met by a real nice usher. The band was already playing and people were already singing songs when we arrived. I felt different emotions. It has been a long while since I’ve gone to church with a sincere yearning for something. But I also felt disdain towards the people around me. It was a young crowd; people my age. They were gleaming with warm smiles and hearty laughter. It was genuine. I can tell it was, because I know what fake happiness looked like. I immediately started to judge them. I thought to myself, they are not here for Jesus. They are just here to hook up and socialize. Jesus isn’t here. God isn’t here. This whole place feels like a sugarcoated cult. All this laser light shows make me sick. I took my seat anyways in the back and avoided as much contact with anyone except with my two friends who I came with.
As they were singing, I can see people really get into this whole thing. Hands were up, people were crying. It was nothing really new to me. I’ve seen this before in the other churches I’ve been to. I averted my eyes from the crowd and looked at the projector screen where the lyrics were displayed. I just stood quietly and listened to the lyrics.
After the singing, the pastor of the church came up on stage and started talking. I was genuinely interested. Interested in what I can get out of it. I wasn’t here for these heathens. I was here for myself, and to see if I can hear what I want to hear in order to suppress the darkness in me. Only God can judge me. I know God will work for me. But then, his words started to hit home. Not because it was making me feel all lovey-dovey, but it was making me feel something else. Uncomfortable, but in a weirdly sound way. He was talking about God’s love. Selfless love. About Jesus and His sacrifice.
But I know all of this already. This is the usual.
…
But I still felt weird. I went home after, then smoked a joint. Then thought about church.
The next few weeks, I decided to start going back to that church. The more I went, the more I started to have an internal quarrel inside of me. My humanistic, logical perspective was just fighting with this new feeling.
This is weakness. I don’t need help.
The more I went, the more my stoicism started to falter.
I need help. I can’t do this all on my own.
Be a man. Don’t be vulnerable.
All around me, people were open about their lives. They were all admitting that they were sinners, and still are. Yet, they all seemed truly happy and free.
I want to be free too.
No. Sinners don’t have a place here.
They keep talking about Jesus hanging out with the sinners, the prostitutes, the tax collectors and the marginalized.
Huh…
They started talking about a relationship with God, instead of a religion.
But I thought I know all there is about God and his suffocating rules, these bible verses and quotes, and that if I don’t follow them, I will go to hell and yada yada.
No.
I didn’t.
I was baptized countless times when I was younger, and I’ve said the prayer of acceptance countless times, but not because I wanted to, but because I felt like I had to.
God — Jesus was talking to me about a relationship, not being enslaved by countless rules.
I realized that, I didn’t know anything about God. At all.
I didn’t know anything about faith and grace.
The father was with his remaining son and their workers in the field tending to his estate. As he was working, he catches a glimpse of a faint figure in the distance at the horizon. He squinted to see who it was…then he realizes that it is his long-lost son.
Without haste, the father dropped his gear and ran as fast as he could towards his son. With tears in his eyes, he gives the most heartwarming hug that his son has not felt in years.
“Son! Is this really you?! Oh, how I’ve missed you so! We all thought that you were dead, but here you are! Welcome back, my dearest son!”
“Dad…please. Stop.” The son replied. “I am no longer worthy to be called your son. I have unforgivably disrespected your love and your good name, and with what I have wretchedly done, I do not deserve an inking of your forgiveness. So please — ”
“Not another word! Not one!” The father interjected. “I love you so much, that none of what you’ve done against me can take it away from you. I am just simply happy that you have come back.”
The father then orders his workers to call all of their friends and families to come and have a celebratory party for the son that he thought was never going to come back. He even ordered for the finest food to be served, and for the finest clothes to replace the tattered rags on his son’s back. As the son looked at his dad, he sees not one wrinkle of hatred or bitterness in his father’s eyes. He tearfully falls to his knees in front of his father’s feet. His father’s forgiveness has given him immense joy that he cannot ever describe.
As the whole household rejoices, his brother looks on from the background with hatred and jealousy in his eyes.
After many weeks of coming back to church — of Jesus knocking on the steel door of my soul and heart, I finally decided to open the door accept Him in. I finally decided to answer that call and get to know Him better. But my transformation did not happen overnight. I still sinned — I still do. I still had many days wherein I found myself slipping and wandering away. But I started to hunger more for reading the Bible. The book that I thought was so boring all my life is now the book that I can’t put down once I pick it up. There, I read about Jesus and His words of life. But then I would fall back down again. This went on for three more years and only until recently — as in, the past few weeks of isolation — have I truly have understood the gift of grace and being born-again; to be renewed and to have a fresh new outlook towards everything. Without a single shred of doubt I can confidently say that I no longer have that dear and anxiety.
The story I told in between my the story of my life was a parable that Jesus Himself told. I told it with a modern finish, but if you read it in Jesus’ words in the book of Luke, it still rings very close to one’s heart even today. The lost, prodigal son in the story is me. It’s you. It’s humanity in all of our selfish, indulgent, sinful nature. I always thought that, despite what I was going through, I believed that I was a good person, and that I was doing the right thing. But subconsciously, I was doing it with expecting something in return. I did good to people in hopes that people will take notice and praise me. I did good to people so that I can get something back in return. I did it because religion says, that if I do enough good…maybe I will be holy one day and earn my salvation. The father in the story is God. He loved us so much that when we admit that we are imperfect and that we are all but sinners, He doesn’t care about any — ANY — of our wrongdoings anymore. As the father in the story ran towards His son — towards me — he didn’t thunderously reprimand me, or struck me with the proverbial religious lightning. He accepted me back in his wide open arms, when no one else did. So who does the second son symbolize? It represents me as well. It represents the religious people who were working for and earning their salvation. It represents our human pride of wanting to suffer and earn our way to heaven, but casting judgment and hate towards our fellow man in the process. I was the second son who looked down on those who found grace and have found true happiness when they ran back to the Father.
In the book of Genesis, we see that in the beginning of it all, God created us to be perfect based on His own image. But He also gave us free will to think for ourselves. God let Man think freely to what he thinks is right and wrong by putting the Fruit of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden to let Man choose to either obey Him and live forever, or choose to try and become god but die in the process. He is not a God that demands religion from you in order to love and follow Him robotically. But our own selfishness and lust for life — sin — has led us down a path far from His Love and protection. All throughout history, we see Man’s hate and selfishness towards one another destroy countless lives. Man chose to leave God.
What is causing the anxiety in the world today is not just the unseen microbial being and/or death rays that stalk the darkness. It also is due to the fear of death and the unknown. To some, it is the loneliness that lead up to it. For once in our collective lives, our mortality and fragility has been shoved right in front of us.
Like many, I turned to the next person for guidance. I looked upon the experts and leaders for answers to questions that even they don’t have an answer to. I was relying on people that I thought cared for me and was leaning on my own flawed thinking but I can’t find anything to dissipate the anxiety. I turned to things such as self-care but I still did not find it. I would look to religion, just like countless others, but all I saw was condemnation and hypocrisy. All I saw that I had to strive to earn my way up the Holy tower and to be holier-than-thou, or else you will be condemned to hell. For many years, religion and I pushed each other away.
For the first few days since social-distancing and isolation, I was overflowing with fear and anxiety. As I sought God not through the useless works that religion taught me, but as a Person, as a Father and a friend, I got to learn and walk more with Yeshua Mesiach — Jesus Christ. Actually, He knew me even before I knew who I was. I strayed and got lost. But He found me. As I was reading this book titled Experiencing God a few nights ago, God spoke to me through it. Jesus/God has many names in the Bible, and as I was meditating on which name on the list spoke to me the strongest, indirectly, God showed me my name. Yes, my name — Jemuel — which means “God is Light” appeared in the list. Jesus said:
…“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
— John 8:12 (ESV)
In the midst of the storm, God revealed that my name is my calling. He named me at birth so that I can tell people about Jesus. It took time, but here I am now. I have to be the Light of God. Since Jesus is, so am I. And now, I have no fear of tomorrow, or the next minute. My reliance and dependence on the material world has up and vanished. I am now not afraid of what will happen tomorrow.
I mentioned faith and grace earlier, and I keep mentioning it. Now you ask, so what exactly are they?
Now I am no Bible scholar and I did not do a good job of memorizing my verses and I am far from being the perfect “Christian”, but now that I’ve felt this new and refreshing change in my life, I can’t just let this amazing gift of grace just stay with me. So I am going to show you that despite all the religiosity — whichever religion it is — that you’ve come to observe from afar, or even tried to practice, it could all be so simple and requires none of your human effort. So I will try my best to show you the simplicity of it all.
Now everyone knows this famous verse, even if you are an atheist or not religious, I am sure you’ve heard of it before:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
— John 3:16 (KJV)
But many do not know the verse that comes after it:
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
— John 3:17 (KJV)
They both talk of faith and grace.
There’s so many things I can say about Jesus and His embodiment of grace, but to paint you a picture, Jesus came down to this earth and performed miracles and supernatural things. He spoke of things that people at the time never heard of before; he spoke of grace. He came to bring peace and save people, but the religious hardliners loathed him, and with their hardened religious hearts they decided to reject Jesus’ gift of redemption by nailing Him on the cross.
Religion killed the Son of God.
Jesus said that:
“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.”
— Matthew 5:17 (NKJV)
God in all of His perfect ways, loved — and still love — us so much, that even at our most undeserving and sinful nature, He sent His one and only perfect Son to die in our behalf. Jesus died so that we can be free from sin and save us from ourselves. He became sin. For eons, God imposed strict laws upon the Hebrews to amplify the impossibility of following them.
We no longer have to earn our way to heaven, because He’s paid for it.
Then he defeated death itself, and rose again to show us that there is eternal life in Him.
All the condemnation and shame that we and others have placed upon us; all the hurt, and all the pain and agony, has been taken cared of by Yeshua. You don’t have to inflict yourself even further with more guilt and shame. You are set free from yourself.
Grace is the unmerited, undeserving favour that God through His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit has gifted to us by His agonizing sacrifice. It is salvation that is not earned.
Faith is “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (–Hebrews 11:1)” It is believing that Jesus died for our sins, and that He rose again. After His resurrection, one of His disciples, Thomas, doubted that He actually is alive. When Jesus appeared to and let him touch his scars:
“Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
— John 20:29
Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed. That’s me. That’s millions of people who believed way after Jesus ascended to heaven. That’s millions of people who believe until now. That could also be you.
Remember when I said that this year was not it? I take that back. This year to me has become the year where things have never been so much more clearer; the year my perspective has become 20/20. My eyesight might still be imperfect, but my mind is made perfect by the grace of Christ Jesus. Now, I feel and see Him everywhere; in the simplest of things, in the nature that He has created, through my family and the people that are sacrificing themselves for others. My purpose has become so crystal clear, and I pray that your life can become clear to you too. Jesus — Yeshua — said:
“I am The Way, The Truth and The Life. No one comes to The Father except through Me.”
— John 14:6 (KJV)
The Divine Being that for the majority of my life I blamed for my own doing; the Person that I believed did not exist, has saved me by His grace and grace alone. Looking back, it was so illogical that I was angry at something that I did not believe in; I was angry indirectly at myself.
If you’ve stuck around, I thank the Lord Jesus Christ that you’ve done so. I normally am so timid and scared of talking about my beliefs, but after this past few weeks, I believe that nothing happens by chance. I pray that your heart be touched by God’s grace. You clicking and reading through this is something that I know God has purposely made happen in your life right now.
It is incredible how what is going on right now with the world — especially here in the West — is coinciding and peaking during the religious month of Lent and Easter. Lent is when one fasts from a pleasure of the flesh, and Easter is the remembrance of Christ’s victorious resurrection over the grave. God has allowed this to happen (it did not come from Him, but He let it happen) so that He can call us — humanity — one last time towards his gracious arms; that we can look up towards Jesus and experience His gift once more.
Jesus said that He will return one day to take His beloved up to heaven before the end of the times. And this day cannot be far from today. I do believe it will happen this year. It’s disturbing to think, I know, but if what is going on right now with the world is not alarming enough to wake you up, nothing else will. I may or may not be around by the time you read this, but I pray that whoever you are, God will work through you.
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”
— Revelation 3:20 (NIV)
You’re probably thinking to yourself, This guy’s lost it.
That’s all fine by me. I am not here to push anything to you. I am not here to convert anyone. What I’ve written is merely to speak of my experience of the gift that I have received from Jesus, and a gift is not pushed on anyone. You have the free will to walk away, but let me tell you, would you rather take your chances? Or have the assurance of being saved from the evil enemy fighting for your soul? Think about it…
If the story of my life and how Jesus has saved and changed me have somehow reached to you, then you only have to do one thing: accept Jesus and His gift of grace into your life, and let Him set you free. So pray this prayer with me, even if you don’t know how to pray:
Lord Jesus, I do not know everything there is to life, and that I am but an imperfect, sinful person who do not deserve Your love and grace, but I do believe that You have died for me on the cross, and have victoriously defeated death by resurrecting from the grave. I do believe with my heart that You have shed Your blood and had Your body broken for me and that Your grace has now guaranteed me eternal life with You. My human logic can never make sense of it all, but Your love — through the Holy Spirit — has given me faith to know that I am saved, and loved, and that my sins are no more before God, and that I am forever saved and awaiting an eternal life with You. In Jesus’ precious name I pray, Amen.
So what’s next?
You don’t need to be in a physical church to make your next steps. The church isn’t the physical structures that you have in your mind, but rather it is the millions upon millions in the world that believe in Jesus, regardless of where they are. I say find a Bible and start reading it. I wish I could give you a physical Bible, but you can reach out to my church for one, and they will happily find a way to provide you with one. There are many versions out there, but I recommend the King James Version, but the New International Version can be easier to read for some. Ultimately, go to what you feel most comfortable with. I myself have not read the whole Bible, but Jesus is The Word. So I suggest that you start simply praying — talking — to Jesus. You’ve most likely heard of The Lord’s Prayer. You can use this as a guide, as Jesus intended it to be when taught this to His disciples. Remember, He is not a religion. He is a real Person that is with you and in you in everything that you do and in every place that you go. He knows what is in your heart, and He is here for you, for whatever you need to get off of your chest. It might still sound weird at first, but trust me, I felt the same way at first too. But the greatest thing about this is that you don’t have to feel guilt or shame any further. You are a child of God and nothing but eternal joy awaits you, even long after you pass from this earth.
The Bible is full of broken, messed up, sinful and flawed human beings like you and me. Apostle Paul — who persecuted and killed countless people for their beliefs in the name of the God that he religiously thought he was following — was transformed by Jesus to become his messenger of Grace. No one is far from the love of God. And with God’s grace, you should not fear death. For once you are saved by believing in Jesus, you are guaranteed immortality and resurrection, as Jesus did. Apostle Paul said:
“We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.”
— 2 Corinthians 5:8
One of the most amazing resources that I has helped me read and understand the Bible is from the amazing people and their work with The Bible Project and their YouTube channel. Their illustrative videos make it so accessible and digestible for those who are new to the Bible.
You can either start with the book of Luke, or even the first book: Genesis. I am still reading it, and with the grace of God, He has used many people to become His mouthpiece to instil in me His Word. The tools are at your disposal with the internet. You can download the Bible app as well. (https://www.bible.com/app) You can find tons of apps that will help you even start a devotion with Jesus, such as Our Daily Bread (https://odb.org/)
As to how to show God’s love to others, and to further re-emphasize that religion is futile, Jesus said:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
— Mark 12:30–31 (NIV)
Love every single person that you encounter in life. Share this with your friends and loved ones. It will take a lot, as I myself have realized that loving your neighbour is near impossible, but if you have Jesus and the Holy Spirit in you, patience and kindness will naturally flow, and you will find loving people a lot easier. This is especially important now more than ever, when selfishness is a lot more rampant than ever before due to human’s self-preserving nature. Pray to God for wisdom, and He will guide you.
I leave you with these videos that my pastor Billy Richards has made especially for a time as this. You can also check out my church’s website and YouTube channel for many more encouraging and uplifting content.
The following video does an amazing job of introducing who Jesus is, as well as an amazing word from the great late Billy Graham, whom God has used to lead countless millions to Christ and their salvation.
I have also been richly blessed and nourished with Love, Faith and Grace through countless pastors sent by God, and one in particular — Joseph Prince — is being used mightily by God to spread the unconditional gospel of Grace, wherein your eternal salvation is secure. Pastor Prince’s and New Creation Church’s YouTube channel has tons of resources that can help you further live Jesus’ Amazing Grace.
I know I have taken much of your time already, and I truly, sincerely thank you for taking the time to listen to my story — to Jesus’ story. You may not know me, but I look forward to meeting you in heaven. If you do know me, I apologize if I have hurt you in the past, or if I have done something that might have offended you. Please know that I love you, and please — don’t be afraid to reach out to me by any means. God does not exist in time and space like we do, so best know and believe, He brought you here not by chance, but for His sole gracious purpose to tell you that you are truly Loved, Blessed, and Saved by Jesus.
I do not know what tomorrow will bring, but as Jesus said:
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
— Matthew 6:34 (NIV)
So rest in God and His Grace. Let His promise in Psalm 91 comfort you.
I love you so much, whoever you are, and believe that I am praying for you. May God bless you, and until the next one…
