The Power of Love: To reshape someone’s story As an aspiring writer I definitely have an interest in learning and sharing stories and as Duncan correctly pointed out this week, everybody has one. John shared in his testimonial video about how he had come to a clear understanding of the milestones within his life and how they had led him on in his journey with Christ. For me, through different things that God has allowed in my life over the past few years, as well as through the teaching, encouragement, prayer, love and support I have received from GodFirst since I have been part of the church, I too have come to a far better place of understanding my identity, my journey, my passions and my own heart and have found the courage to take steps towards new things. I can therefore appreciate how love can reshape someone's story. The tale of Zacchaeus is a powerful demonstration of how it simply takes someone to see you. This can transform your mind and the direction of your life. I have never been an overtly confident person, and in the past I was not very inwardly confident either. Growing up I didn’t have a great deal of belief in my own abilities or the impact I could make and as such never thought I would achieve all that much. But over the last few years the love and encouragement of those around me (in every sphere of my life) has begun to shift my thinking and help me see myself the way I believe God sees me and even shift how I view achievement and success. I am not a loud person (and probably never will be as my voice doesn’t seem to rise above a certain level, so never try and talk to me in a loud bar - haha), nor can I easily debate apologetics or pray for strangers in the street.
But while I used to think I needed to be all these kinds of things (particularly louder and more ‘noticeable’), I have come to learn that it is really alright to be who I am. Of course we can always grow in different areas throughout our faith journey, and God will challenge us at different points in our lives, but God also just sees us and loves us as we are. He sees into the very heart of us and knows our giftings and our life’s work. It was revealed to me at both work and church that people see me as a gentle, cheerful, calm, hardworking and happy individual who allows others to be themselves around me - this, apparently, is the way God made me. It was also revealed that (apparently) I have a bit of a talent for writing. This surprised me in a very positive way. I have started to see myself in these ways too and having this knowledge of who I am began to alter the way I view my past, present and future. All that to say - Thank you GodFirst for prioritising people, demonstrating the power of love and being a part of my story. Written by Lucy Maddox