Freedom

I have a friend who serves on the Campus Crusade for Christ staff at the University of Connecticut. Monthly she and her husband send a newsletter telling the story of those whose lives have been touched by the Gospel. They serve tirelessly to impact young people's lives with the Message of Hope.

They are working with a generation who is exploring new found freedom as they escape the bounds of home and parents. Some of them experiment with things that are new and enticing. Others enter into profligate lifestyles sending them into a downward spiral.

In the August 20, 2007 newsletter in an article entitled, "What God is Doing" they wrote these words. "So many times their freedom ends up imprisoning them in lifestyles they don't find fulfilling and yet they can't seem to escape."

Those are haunting words I copied into my journal after I read them late last summer.

Strangely enough, these are words that can be used to describe all kinds of people, not just college students at the University of Connecticut.

E. M. Forster wrote words that sparkle with truth when he penned, "we must be willing to let go of the life we have planned so that we can have the life that is waiting for us."

My friends who serve on the Campus Crusade staff are trying to help students "let go" of their plans so that they can embrace "His plan." That is not a bad definition of evangelism. Seems rather simple and yet so profound.

Jesus was matter-of-fact: "Embrace this God-life. Really embrace it, and nothing will be too much for you. This mountain, for instance: Just say, 'Go jump in the lake'—no shuffling or shilly-shallying—and it's as good as done. That's why I urge you to pray for absolutely everything, ranging from small to large. Include everything as you embrace this God-life, and you'll get God's everything. Mark 11:22

What do you need to "let go" of and what do you need to "embrace?" Your answer will determine the trajectory of your life's story.

Just a thought.