This morning in my devotional time I read Jeremiah 6:16 which reads:
“This is what the Lord says: Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.”
I know God was speaking to me through His Word through this verse to give a more clearly defined purpose to this week for me. As a senior pre-med major, my classes are very demanding and it’s very tempting to see spring break as a “workless/rest” week. Rest is vital for the demands of my major. I was at a crossroads in making my decision to go to Charleston or rest for the week, but I felt God’s hand pointing toward Charleston, “the good way.” In my mind I was thinking, we’re going to Charleston, we’re going to participate in urban ministry with those who haven’t encountered a relationship with the Divine. God had a different plan. My team was involved in a very rural ministry setting, helping a man named George, his sister Ezzie, and her son Ken (who were dedicated Christians) renovate an older home (painting, removing 40 year old linoleum, etc.) The demands of our current economic situation have lead Ezzie, who is in her 70’s, to continue working at a local factory to support her disabled son and brother. With disabilities and the demands of a job, little of the needed household upkeep tasks had been completed in some time. We completed painting a living room, hallway, and bedroom and made way for new linoleum to be laid next week, and all in all, completing these tasks was trivial compared to the work the Lord did on us as a team through George and his family. The work that was visible stands in no comparison to the invisible transforming power of the Holy Spirit. George was a great encouragement to our team, a great example of humility, and it was evident to us that George enjoyed glorifying God with us. Jesus bridges generational, social, economic, and any other divide you could imagine, and that connection was made very evident in our interactions with George. There is an ancient Indian word, Namaste , which literally translates “I see the Holy One in you.” I can wholeheartedly proclaim that I saw the Holy One in George. I came to Charleston thinking I was following Jesus, and I suppose if you’re following someone, occasionally you’ll catch up with them, and I can assuredly say I caught up with Jesus in George. Although this week has been filled with work (spiritual and physical labor), and hard work at that, I’ve truly found rest for my soul in finding Jesus in George.
Spring Break Testimony: Tyler Elam, Morehead State
– Tyler Elam, Student, Morehead State