IMPACTED Story

Megan Thorne • JOY UNSPEAKABLE

Always Be Prepared

Spread the love of Jesus wherever you go. You never know the impact you’ll have. 1 Peter 3:15 (NIV) says, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” My friend, Terry Perches, along with others were obedient to the Word of the Lord. The obedience of these children of God is what lead me to meet my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I grew up in a Christian environment. Even though my family didn’t go to church until I got into high school, I went to a Baptist preschool and VBS. I attended a few different youth groups as well. Despite those positive influences, I was lacking that critical one-on-one relationship with Jesus. So, when my faith was put to the test, it crumbled. I had a house built on sand as opposed to a house built on the rock that is Jesus Christ. In November of 2016, I lost my dad to suicide. My faith that was on the fence, tipped the wrong way. I got into problems with alcohol and ended up getting a DUI. On my one phone call, I threatened suicide. Straight from jail, I was Baker acted. When I was released, one of the first things I did was get a massage. It was then that I knew my life’s purpose was to become a massage therapist myself. I enrolled in massage school, which was an incredibly healing experience. I was out of the hole of depression, but I still wasn’t feeling whole. I felt something big was missing. I tried all kinds of things to fix it. At times, I got the illusion that I was healing myself, but I still felt a void. Eventually, Christianity made it into the mix of things that I was doing. When I started seeking God for real, He showed up. Almost all areas of my life improved instantly. On November 18, 2023, seven years to the day after I lost my dad. I spread his ashes in the ocean and got baptized that day. The Lord literally gave me beauty for ashes.

When I met Terry Perches, she told me her life story, everything, good and bad. She shared her testimony with me. She was honest about how much trouble she had gotten into but, how the Lord was able to redeem her from all that because she chose to accept Him into her heart. He completely turned her life around right away. Terry planted some seeds that would be watered over the next year or so. Terry later ended up sharing her testimony in a Chapter of Joy Unspeakable: Regardless of Your Circumstances. I wanted to know more about her story. That is why I got a copy. The Lord had so much in store for me! This book was one of the first Christian resources that I had in the beginning of my walk with the Lord. Joy Unspeakable really lives up to the title! I was truly amazed how the people were able to find joy amid tragedy, especially because I had experienced a lot of hardship in my own life. One story that really helped me was Oil of Joy by Stephanie Winslow. In this Chapter, Stephanie describes the loss of her brother. Jesus turns her tears of despair to tears of joy. I could relate to her loss. We have a God of revival. There is resurrection power in the mighty name of Jesus. This story, as well as the others, gave me a lot of hope. These stories taught me about the love of Jesus.

As followers of Christ, we are called to be a good representation of Him and His love. Share the reason for the hope that you have with gentleness and respect, in every situation. You never know the impact that you might have. Even if the seeds that you plant take years to grow, you are still called to plant them. It could make more of a difference than you can even imagine. It can be the difference between death and life.

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