The Power of One

We can never underestimate one single detail of our lives. Truly. We have no idea what one small step or decision can make to affect the future exponentially.

Let me explain.

22 Years Ago

About 22 years ago, as I was coming out of the pit of despair that I had lived in up until I met Steve.  I had moved out of my apartment above the deli and into a much better place. I had found a job in a health spa. Now, even those details are crazy. Because I didn’t like the job. I was there because it was the only job I could get with my nutrition degree at the time. And every day I almost quit.

Until one day, while I was there, I met “an angel.” A young woman just about my age was hired around the same time that I had been hired. I had never in my life met anyone like her. She radiated something that was different. I know now that it was Christ’s love, but then, all I saw was something that truly drew me to her.

The details of this are quite unreal. Had I met her a year or two before, I probably would have been more repelled than drawn into her spirit…but just before I met her, my life had hit rock bottom, and I cried out to (an unknown) God at the time, because I didn’t want to live the life I was living anymore the way I was living it. I didn’t really know God but I was desperate for relief, so I cried out to him. Shortly after, I met Steve and I also started to attend church again. I had gone as a child/teen and I wanted to find my way back. And then I met her…

I Was Ready

God knew I was ready and sent this angel at the right time.

So here she was, a beautiful woman, who just exuded joy. In everything she spoke about, Jesus always came up. She had this contagious joy. A glow about her.

When I heard her talk about God, I mentioned that I had just started attending church again and was trying to get my life back on track. She spoke to me about Jesus and invited me to her home to share the Bible with me. That led to many Friday nights either visiting her church (which was quite different than any church I had known 😉 ) or she would invite several of the young twenty-somethings from work over on Friday nights to her home after work to read the Bible. And we all actually chose that over the bars and clubs! She would pray for me right there at work. She would pray for clients right there in the middle of the spa. Or co-workers. She was always talking about Jesus!

I’ll never forget when she visited my apartment one evening and Steve was in the other room. Right there in the midst of our conversation, she broke out into a hymn. Steve peered around the corner like, “What on earth is going on?” Ha! Oh, but there was something about this JOY she had.

One day I mentioned that I really liked the dress she was wearing. The next day she appeared at my door with a pile of clothes that she no longer wanted and the dress was right there on top. That’s the way she was!

She took the time to really get to know me. She invested in me. She asked questions about who I was and where I had been. I asked her to sing at my wedding and as we would get together weeks before the wedding and chat, one of those conversations really got deep. I told her I didn’t deserve to have this wedding to this man who was so good to me. I told her (without too many details) of the horrific things I had done and how much utter darkness I had lived in before. She explained that is why Jesus came. If we truly believe that He is the Son of God and we repent from our sins and want to be saved, we are born again. He gives us a brand new life.

My reply was, “That’s a good story but it is too good to be true. You don’t know the things I have done. Forgiveness can’t be for me.”

She assured me that it was. And she left it at that.  She never “preached” or forced anything or dispelled my skewed beliefs at the time. She simply loved me and spoke the truth. And pointed me to the Word. She left the rest to God. He is the One who ultimately woke me up. But He used her to share the truth.

Eventully I was married and had my first baby and Steve and I really started to study the Bible and got involved in a solid Bible-believing church. Our faith grew as did our family. More children were born. We moved.  This young woman and I eventually went from a weekly phone call to a monthly call, to none at all. I believe she moved at one point and I never got her new information. And eventually, we lost touch. I even tried to find her on facebook but to no avail.

The Impact of ONE

But, here’s the thing. And hear me on this loud and clear. Do you see the impact this ONE woman had on many? Not only did she change the trajectory of my life, but I then went on to raise my children to know Jesus. Years later, here I am with an active and thriving ministry reaching thousands of people online every week, and speaking around the country meeting hundreds of people a year…to point them to Jesus.  And who knows how many people those people will affect!

And my kids will go on to have kids...and their kids, and their kids and so on. All being taught the truth of Jesus.

In the end, can you even imagine how many lives will know Jesus all because of this ONE person?

All because of one person. Taking one step. To share the love of God. Naturally. And truly.

This woman shared it with me because it flowed out from her and you can tell there was no stopping it or even forcing it out. It was just there, naturally emanating from her being.

If we all could only do that. Live our lives for JESUS. Oh, the impact we would make. Forgetting what others think. Not getting caught up in the details. But living and loving like Jesus. Because we can’t help ourselves! 

If I never do find her here on earth, we sure have some big celebrating to do when we get to Heaven. And I can’t wait.