​Why do some people run to the Lord Jesus Christ in times of crisis, while others run away from Him?  This week I spent time with two people who were living on the streets.  Not exactly the same because one a way of life the other temporary. 

• The first young man has major struggles.  He was raised in a Christian home and spiritually is  fluctuating between bitterness against God and uncertainty if God  really exists.  Major struggles…. I can only pray for him because in the end he refused help….
• The other young man, Elton, was a delight.  Ivan and Anne Oakes were honored to host him their home one night.  He is 27, born to an alcoholic mother, raised in a foster home and is the primary care giver for his ailing foster mother because he is so grateful. (what a powerful story of the difference a foster parent can make).  Elton is committed to the Lord Jesus Christ. Several of us got to hear his story at the Coffee Hour on Wed. and the Thurs Bible Study… he works with youth on the Yakima Reservation.  He has a passion for Christ and showing others the better way, that you can be a member of the Yakima nation and a Christian.  He got stuck in Sumas a few days because he was on a road trip with friends to visit other friends in Canada and he did not have proper documentation to get into Canada ~ he chose our church ramp to get out of the wind while he waited for them to return.  I enjoyed so much spending a part of three days with him….

Why do some people rise above their circumstances and embrace Christ and other reject him in times of trouble?  Only God knows the heart.  

Most people become Christians during a crisis.  Growing in faith is often in response to a crisis.  A Crisis is any life changing event.  Life is more about change/crisis than it is stability.  We are constantly facing changes/crisis.  Yet we cling to that which we know!

How you respond to crisis determines your character/spiritual depth.

The day after Christmas I got a phone call from a friend who wanted to know all about my new twin grandkids, Sally, Christmas… she was chatty.  In the time surrounding his death, my friend was in a dark place.  She was lost.  She could not think.  I received many late night phone calls asking for prayer; she was feeling oppressed. Then BOOM! something changed.  Mother’s day last year she felt a peace she hadn’t felt in years, God was telling her to choose life and living over death and confusion.  It was like putting on glasses for the first time and suddenly seeing details you never knew existed…

The day after Christmas, as the conversation wound down, she said matter of factly, “My husband died a year ago today.”  Aha, that’s why she called…. I thought of the contrast of what her phone calls used to be like compared to what they were now.  She spoke of faith, of missing her husband, but knowing all is well.  She spoke with confidence of her life situation and her life journey. 

Sometimes it takes time to make it through a crisis, but for those who trust in God and believe in his promises, there is the promise of a new day, a new life, a new mind, a new strength, a new heart.  God will always find a way for those that trust him!