You Never Know...

...who you'll meet.

Our whole summer project volunteered at an epic car show in Denver today, hosted by a local church. I had the afternoon responsibility of making sure all the kids (both little and bigger) didn't hurt themselves too badly on all the bouncy castles. While helping the kids dismount safely, I got to know Justin, another volunteer. He seemed like an ordinary guy. And then he opened his mouth and opened his past.

He had what seemed to be the high life. He had one of the most respectable jobs, made lots of money, and was actually making a tangible difference in the world. By our society's standards, he was on the top of the success ladder. And then he made a mistake. A big mistake. And lost everything.

While he was sharing his story, I was shocked to visually see the peace he had in his eyes. Joy seemed to quietly exude from his very presence. It was a good reminder that it doesn't matter what our lives look like to our culture, but what matters (what will last) is what in our lives honors God. Those accomplishments are rarely ever known to human eyes, but matter exponentially more. Nothing in Justin's life honored God and it took that mistake to see it. And my favorite part about God's grace is that we are new creations in Christ.

The old adage about judging books by their covers proves true again. You never know who you will meet, and so we should not judge a person by their lives, but by their heart. Justin's heart did not always honor God, but he has been renewed. He is a new creation, and his joy is evidence of that.


"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"
 2 Corinthians 5:17