I met with a former mentor today-- someone who was a staff worker with Intervarsity Christian Fellowship when I was attending UNM (he is now the area director of IVCF.) Lately I have been thinking about people who have mentored me and how much they have spoken into my life-- he was one of those people, and recently I was thinking over some words he once said to me. I have always been a shy, timid person-- he was one of the first people to really encourage me not to live out of that fear because Christ has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of "power, and love, and self-discipline." He really encouraged me to step out in faith and obedience to Christ, empowered by the spirit. I have never forgotten that. To this day, those words have made a huge impact. I was thinking of a few other things he said and/or did too, and then the thought occurred to me, you should tell him this, it might encourage him to hear it. So I asked if we could meet.
I did share this with him-- but as usually happens, I was the one who felt encouraged at the end of our meeting. He asked me-- as he always does-- what God has been doing in my life. I opened up about the whole crazy journey I have been on the past few years-- the ups, the downs, the unexpected events, the struggles, and coming out of it all with my faith strengthened. I shared what God has been showing me lately about fighting. I want to be someone who is strong, who is a fighter, but naturally I'm not that way at all. Lately there has been a theme running through my life-- revealed even through the characters I play in DnD-- about standing, and fighting, and being bold and courageous. God has told me certain new challenges are coming, but He has also told me He will be victorious. I am so excited to see what He does.
"You have grown," he told me at last, "you wouldn't have spoken this way in college." I knew he was right. My faith, though deep, did not have the depth it would attain through suffering. When I finally settled into silence he asked me questions-- drawing out thought I had not spoken, helping me see things in a different way. When we finally finished up our conversation and prepared to part ways he looked at me. "Laura, I am proud of you."
The words warmed my heart. I am proud of you. To hear that from someone you really look up to-- someone you respect-- someone whose faith you admire-- it made me so happy.
And then he said, "I hope you hear this from Jesus too-- 'well done, good and faithful servant.'"
I hope so, too. The thought of it filled my eyes with tears. When I finally see Jesus face to face-- if I hear those words-- then nothing else will matter. I will shed the shackles of this earth and my heart will be at home.
Jesus is the great reward of Christianity.
I could not ask for anything more.
