Pastor Mark always has stories that speak to my heart, and this past Sunday was no exception. Our church is in the beginning chapters of a new study by Max Lucado called "Fearless." (It is an amazing book, if you haven't read it I would highly recommend it!) Sunday's sermon covered chapter two of the book, "The Fear of Not Mattering." Here is a small piece from the chapter:
"Ah, there it is. There is the question. The Amazon River out of which a thousand fears flow: do we matter? We fear we don't. We fear nothingness, insignificance. We fear evaporation. We fear that in the last tabulation we make no contribution to the final sum. We fear coming and going and no one knowing."
Towards the end of Pastor Mark's sermon he told us a story. It is a story that I have told over and over in my head because it truly touched my heart. It is a story that I want to share with you because maybe it will touch you in the same way it touched me.
The story goes like this...
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On an evening not any different from most, a competitive swimmer walked into the gym and headed towards the indoor pool. Outside the only light that shone was the light of the moon and the stars. Inside, the gym was dark and quiet. The young swimmer walked into the pool room without switching on any lights. He wanted to swim in the dark. He wanted to be alone with his thoughts. You see, this young competitive swimmer had been an atheist. He didn't believe in God. He had no reason to believe. Lately he had been having second thoughts, but nothing to really verify that God truly is real. Nothing to prove to him that God had been by his side even when this young man didn't believe...
Slowly the young man climbed the ladder to the high dive. 30 feet above ground, the young man walked to the edge of the platform in the dark. He was alone with his thoughts. He had reached the end of the platform and turned to face the wall. Ready to dismount he closed his eyes and raised his arms perpendicular to his body. He took a deep breath in and slowly he opened his eyes and was stunned at the sight on the wall. Behind him a window let in the light of the moon and the young man's shadow was displayed on the wall. His body had made a Cross with his arms outstretched. He was consumed with the Spirit and he dropped to his knees at the edge of the diving board. He cried and out loud he asked for forgiveness. He cried to Jesus and asked Him to come into his heart.
Overjoyed at his new found Faith, the young man stood once again at the edge of the platform, facing the wall and stretched his arms out once again, ready to dive below. Just then, the janitor walked into the room and flipped on the light...startled the young man turned to see who was below and he realized that the pool had been drained to be cleaned....
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Did the hairs on the back of your neck stand up? Mine did when I first heard that story. You see, we do matter. It isn't a coincidence that our bodies, arms outstretched, create the shape of the Cross. The Cross is the symbol of the triumph of good. By His sufferings on the Cross our Lord Jesus Christ washed away the sins of mankind, conquered the devil, abolished death and opened the way to eternal life for man. The Cross bears witness to God’s infinite love for sinful mankind. But the Cross is much more than a symbol; it possesses spiritual power.
Here is another piece from the chapter...
"Why does he love you so much? The same reason the artist loves his paintings or the boat builder loves his vessels. You are His idea. And God has only good ideas. 'For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago' (Eph. 2:10)"
Go out and pick up a copy of "Fearless" by Max Lucado...I promise you, you will love it!
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