By Kaylee Hunting, CST Resident
This summer, a gal attended Salt Company on a whim. We promoted Connection Groups, so she decided to sign up for a group. She ended up joining my group for the summer. We had already been meeting as a Connection Group, so I was curious to see how she would fit in and if she would feel comfortable. In the middle of the group, I asked the girls the question, “If I were to gather 3-4 of your closest friends and without you being in the room, I asked them, ‘What’s the most important thing to your friend (aka you)?’ What do you think they would they say?” We did the typical share around the circle, and she was toward the end of the circle. When it got to her, I was astounded by her response.
In tears, she shared, “I feel like I’m at a different level than all of you. You guys are thinking about helping others and I just feel like I need to work on myself…Those close to me would say my family, but those who aren’t close to me or my co-workers would probably say the most important thing to me is how I look or how guys are attracted to me. They probably wouldn’t believe that I’m a Christian.”
Later that week I got to meet up with her. She opened up more about how she wanted to follow Jesus, but she felt like she wasn’t good enough, and she wanted to follow him, but didn’t feel the desire to read her Bible. After listening to her story, I was able to speak truth into her life-that the reason why getting drunk, or an ex-boyfriend, or hooking up wasn’t fulfilling was because there is only one person who can truly satisfy every desire—and that’s Jesus. I told her that she doesn’t have to wait until she is good enough to start following Jesus. He loves her enough that he will accept her as she is, but he also loves her so much that he won’t leave her that way. Through sharing the Gospel with her for her first time, she recognized that while she believed in God, she wasn’t following him, and realized that following Jesus meant a radical life change.
Here I am at the end of the summer. I would love to say that she has made that choice, and that her life has turned around drastically, but that’s not her story yet. It’s a process, and I have witnessed growth. Initially I intended to change her life, but God has used her to change me. I am reminded of how powerful God is—he alone has the power to bring people from death to life. It is a humbling honor that he choses to invite us to be a part of the process. That is a delight. And so, I am excited to witness what God will continue to do in her life in the years to come.
