20 Indeed, you are our glory and joy.
When I think about those people into whom Jesus has given me the privilege of pouring my life, that is when I experience my greatest joys. That is when I get to see the hand of God. It certainly was not me that made the changes in these folk’s lives. These truly were miraculous remakings of individual’s lives. I think about the woman whose life was in turmoil. She was in an abusive marriage and was plunging into depression. Every force in her life was pushing on her and pushing her down. She could not see that proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. Voices from her past were so influencing her that her own voice was stifled, lost in the chatter of a very rough history. In the middle of all this turmoil she came to me for counseling. Over the months we spent together she found her voice again. But even more importantly she heard the voice of God speaking to her. And God’s voice transformed her life. She was able to confront some of those voices from the past and put them in proper perspective. She found some voices that had never been able to speak into her life and she let them speak. And those positive voices transformed her. When she was able to hear God’s voice of forgiveness, she was able to find her own voice and say “I forgive you” to some very hurtful people. This forgiveness gave her freedom. At the end of my life I will look back at these few months, these few hours of interaction and marvel at the transformation. God was at work and I had the privilege of witnessing and participating in that miracle. Even as I write these words, my heart is filled with expressible joy. A life moved from darkness and despair to one of comfort, peace and light. And I got to watch God work. For Paul this type of transaction, from darkness to light, formed the basis for his joy. Those transformations became “friends” on Paul’s Facebook page. Their pictures were proudly displayed as evidence of God’s grace in Paul’s ministry. They showed the hand of God at work in Paul.
The Arnold Journey 