Recently a dear friend and I shared a meal together. For three hours we visited— we had over two decades of life to catch up on. Our journeys with Jesus had been vastly different yet had brought us to similar points of honesty. We had both experienced pain, carried regrets and found ourselves deeply thankful for our journeys. And there we sat. Three hours of nonstop conversation and uninhibited honesty.
As we visited, the beginnings of a thought began to develop in my mind. It was an old concept striking a new cord
The only thing we have to offer before the Lord is ourselves.
I know we’ve all heard a thousand times over that our greatest offering before our Lord Jesus is ourselves, but this time, the concept resonated with me differently.
As I sat there visiting with this old friend — this beautiful soul — I realized that apart from Jesus, the absolute only thing I have to offer others is my own journey. It is all I have. My pains, my hurts, my regrets, my victories, my gratitude – they make up a story that is uniquely and beautifully mine. And therein lies my unique contribution to the Kingdom of God.
Jesus doesn’t only want my current self, but he wants all of it— the entirety of my journey— every single moment.
As I contemplated this concept, I was surprised to find a wave of relief sweeping over me. You see, we are no longer required to carry our past as a burden, but we can celebrate it. Our lives are to be a living sacrifice, not a stagnant one. There is a significant difference.
Romans 12:1 says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God— this is your true and proper worship.”
In order for the Lord to use our lives to bring him the most glory, we have to allow him to use our life in its entirety. Not only the victories and growth, but the journey that brought us here.
When I decided to begin sharing my words with you here, I made a promise to myself. I knew that if there was any hope of my words bringing hope and light and comfort to others then I had to be willing to share openly.
That is not an easy ask for this lady. In fact, quite the opposite. But I knew that until I was ready and willing to share my journey— good bad and ugly—then it was without purpose I knew that anything less than my heart is its most open and transparent state would be inadequate at best.
My darling friend, you are not merely needed in a stagnant moment of redirection towards Jesus. You are needed fully and entirely as you. Your journey and all that entails is vital for the glory of God. He wants to use every teeny tiny piece of you. He adores you and sees beauty in every part of your story. Together, let’s lay the entirety of our story before the feet of Jesus and watch him work wonders through us.