A life transformed

I want to share about a student, who came seeking and a bit skeptical and who now is walking with the Lord. I'm keeping her name anonymous to protect her identity. If you want to know more about her, please feel free to ask. And if you come to France, I'll introduce you to her ☺️

She is a French student, who started coming to the GBU (InterVarsity France). She had so many questions about the Bible and about Christians. Her doubts led her to seek more and ask more questions. I believe that her openness and the love of the students in the group allowed her to be comfortable to keep seeking and going further with the Lord. I can see that God lead her closer to Jesus step by step. It started with a conversation with a Christian friend, then getting sick and being stuck in bed so she took it as an opportunity to read the Bible for herself. 

After her sickness, she started her school year and a friend's sister was in the same city as she was. So, she got invited to the GBU and come with all her curiosity and questions. Then she started coming to our group in English and started asking more questions not just about the Bible but also about our personal relationship with the Lord. When she went to church, she was touched by the faith of the people there and desired it for herself, so she kept going. 

At some point through this process, she committed herself to knowing Jesus more and going deeper. I have been able to read the Bible with her and she also has Christian friends with whom she can have discussions. She still has so much to learn and needs to build a stronger foundation, but I can see her already being transformed. She's not the same person she was before. Knowing her has given me hope. I have hope to believe that many students like her will encounter Jesus. In France, people are skeptical and opposed to the Gospel. I believe that I can have the opportunity so see more lives transformed by the love and grace of Jesus.

Loneliness & Isolation

 Where to begin? I should say that God created his children to live in community, we are created in his image to live alongside one another. It’s not always easy, but necessary for our survival. He gave Adam Eve and all of his other children someone to walk alongside them. Even Jesus his son, who was completely human and completely God, had 12 close friends. This isn’t a post on marriage or friendship so I’ll stop there.

When it comes to loneliness and isolation, I go through periods when I moved to a new place or started something new. I don’t know anyone and I have to find my place in a new place. This time it was coming to Nancy. I have already moved so much so I thought I would be a pro by now. Apparently, I’m not. I get lonely like every other human being on this earth. Even if it’s just for a period, I think it could even be healthy.

I realized that I was having a hard time when I kept thinking about leaving France. I would say to myself, “If it doesn’t work out here, I could always go home.” My comfort was knowing that I could escape. It wasn’t like I was depressed just struggling to make friends and get settled into a routine and life that I was excited to live.

As I write this, I’m still in the period of isolation and loneliness. I don’t think the feelings have completely gone away, but they are having less of an impact on my decision making. I want to do things so that I won’t feel alone or different. I want to feel included and not struggle with feeling like a foreigner. I have already lived in France for more than 4 years and sometimes I feel like I just arrived. The only advantage is that I have a good grasp on the language.

My comfort came when I read 1 Kings 19 while listening to a training podcast. It was so helpful to know that I wasn’t alone. The man who led it is now our InterVarsity president and I was surprised to hear his struggles which seemed much worse than mine. He and his wife were physically isolated and also not integrated in the culture. On the other hand, I can communicate almost exactly what I am thinking and Starbucks arrived this past summer. Seriously it’s the little things that help me keep my sanity.

When I read the story of Elijah in the desert completely isolated and discouraged also wanting to give up and die; I said, “It’s not that bad for me.” I realized that I was too focused on myself and what I was lacking. It was when God took care of him in the desert that he gained a new perspective on his situation. In the same way, God revealed himself to me. He showed me that he was all I needed and that he gives me everything I could ever possibly need, nothing more nothing less. He brought me back to the source and awaken me to his inner workings in my life. I was ripped out of my comfort zone only to come to realize that I can depend on him.

“As a deer longs for streams of water so my soul longs for you, O God.” Psalm 42:1

He slowly gave me these nourishing drops of water. He didn’t give them all at once just enough for the moment and then he would invite me to come back for more. What have I learned from all of this? God has a purpose in everything he does. He wants to teach us and mold us. Sometimes it’s hard and painful to accept his method but once we do it’s refreshing. He draws us into a loving relationship with him. Even though I still have these feelings, I can recognize God’s tender voice calling me closer to him. The fact that he cares for me so much and would take me through all this means he loves me. His grace is in sending Jesus so that I can have a relationship with him. He allows me to experience a loneliness that draws me nearer to him. It’s so perfect and complicated. I try not to understand everything just trust God has some crazy plan that will be for my benefit and also benefit others.

Embrace this loneliness and isolation with me and find a Savior on the other side...