August 7, 2010

This is a story of a broken heart, that was passed from a boy to a man. As he grew, the little boy experienced all kinds of pain. But the worst pain of all was feeling unloved. Deep down, he always felt unwanted. Along the way he saw all kinds of evil and felt the harshness of life, to the point where it was almost all he knew. He had seen love, so he never gave up hope. Hope that one day he would have love in his life.

The boy had grown into a man, and not much had changed except now, he was willing to learn. The man still had a broken heart, and after many relationships, he still didn’t understand why. Then after another failed relationship, as she was walking out of the door she said “I pray to God you get help!” Those few words stuck with him, he couldn’t stop thinking about what she said.

So he began to ask questions which led him to the Bible. He opened the book and flipped through the pages until a verse popped out, almost like it was meant for him to read. It said “I will never leave you nor forsake you…” Hebrews 13: 5. Now this was hard for him to believe, because ever since he was a little boy; all anyone ever did was leave him. That verse caught his attention so he read another. This one said “Because I love you with unconditional love…” Jeremiah 29: 11. And “It is my desire to lavish my love on you, simply because you are my child…” 1 John 3: 1. As soon as he finished that last sentence, tears started streaming down his face. Those few words had struck his heart. Only this time, it wasn’t breaking, it was healing.

After reading more, he learns that God’s mercy and grace are even stronger in time of need. That’s how this broken boy made it through hell.

Jesus understands all our pain; he knows how to get us through our most painful experiences. Now this man is excited and he can’t get enough of God’s word. God’s love is filling the void. It’s fixing this broken soul. He now understands; he now knows why he’s been hurt so much throughout his life. He says to himself, "My heart is filled with grief and sorrows because I care." He always knew he had a good heart because every time he saw someone cry, or an injustice, his heart would break a little bit, and after 30 years it was still breaking. Must be a pretty big heart, he thought.

Finally this man finds himself standing at the crossroads, if he goes forward towards the light he will be following Jesus. If he turns around, he will go back to hell. To the right there is a sign with an arrow. If he goes right he will be following someone else. To the left there is a city with skyscrapers and flashing lights. If he goes left, he will be following himself. After looking left a few times he decides to go forward and follow Christ. In doing so this man changes, because the scripture says “That anyone who follows Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!…” 2 Corinthians 5: 17. His journey to be Christ-like has begun. But he can’t take it alone, he can’t turn his back on so many lost souls, “Because now he knows the difference between truth and lies…” 1 John 2: 21. He knows he can make a difference, because he has been there, he will “be able to comfort those who are in any kind of pain, with the comfort with which he experienced from God.” This reminds him that God will “Wipe away every tear from his eyes and there will be no more death, sorrow, crying or pain. All these things will be gone forever.” Revelation 21: 4. With that in mind he boldly steps forward to become a fisher of men. And he can do so without any fear knowing that God is there “And there is nothing in this world that will ever be able to separate him from the love of God…” Romans 8: 38.

This story shows how true love can transform a broken boy into a true king.

John King