Highlight, Cafe, Garden.

The other night I gave one of my friends a hard copy of my book. I’ve been discipling him for over five years. We sat across from each other at a cafe to read. He asked me for a highlighter and headphones. At once he dug into my book and began highlighting, digging deep, nodding his head. He would pause to tell me a line he liked or a thought that convicted him. Suddenly, in the middle of this cafe, I began tearing up, overwhelmed by the whole thing.

I know who I am. I’m selfish. I’m wretched. I’m weak. I have done a lot of wrong things in this life. I have hurt many people, including myself. Ten years ago, there was zero chance I would be a pastor or write encouraging things or talk about Jesus. And yet here was my friend, actually reading things I wrote and taking them to heart. I couldn’t believe it was happening. It was both horrifying and humbling, and I instantly thanked God like crazy. This is what He does. He’s always doing things like that. God takes the worst of us, the most shattered and damaged and rebellious and prideful, and reverses our entropy into pulsing life. He sees a desert and says, “I see a garden.” God can take a miserable sinner like me and you and breathe something brand new into these jagged veins. This is the work of Christ, shaping us, connecting us, healing us. He loves even us, dear friend.

— J.S.