Ten years ago, an 18 year old girl was struggling with how to save her college roommate. She knew she was spiraling out of control and had no idea how to help her apart from praying and hoping that somehow she would come to her senses. This same 18 year old girl, even after a year of living with her roommate and knowing some dark truths about her, had no idea of the darkness she had been pulled into by that point. How could she? After all, these two girls came from two completely different worlds. One from a "squeaky clean" Christian home where the most darkness she'd encountered was the inside of her eyelids (or so it seemed), and the other from a lifetime of darkness so deep and thick that even the flame of a candle didn't seem to stand a chance.
Yet, for some reason, the Giver of gifts saw fit to put these two opposites together. Despite all odds, these two girls formed a connection that is almost inexplicable.
You see...that 18 year old girl was me. And that roommate was Liz - of whom you may have read about here or here.
Our friendship and our connection was forged not by having a bunch of things in common. It was much deeper than that. It IS much deeper than that. Honestly, I have a difficult time even putting it into words.
Due to that connection, she is someone I truly agonized over spiritually speaking. Oh, if I'd only known.
I keep stepping back and looking at the whole picture: how we met, our time in college together, our deep rooted connection, losing touch, my constant searches for her, our "cyber-reunion," and finally, several weekends ago, and everything that God did and is continuing to do.
It's been almost three weeks since I dropped off my sweet Liz at the airport and watched her walk the opposite direction. We spent a very short few days together but God did some amazing things in those few days that I never, in my wildest dreams, would have expected.
First of all, I don't think anyone who attended the Prizm 5K understood how terrifying it was for her to actually come back to Florida. The last time she was in this state, she was running away. She swore she'd NEVER come back.
But, God....
I've learned to never say never when it comes to my Heavenly Father. I think she's learned the same...
The only word I can find to fit that weekend is surreal. I kept feeling as if someone should pinch me so that I could be sure I wasn't dreaming. I cannot express to you how humbling it is to have the Lord write me into part of such a beautiful and redeeming story.
The enemy meant her life for evil and destruction, But God turned it into a beautiful masterpiece.
Sometimes I wonder if God ever looked down on a couple of college girls and lovingly whispered, "Just you wait, girls. You have no idea the story I am weaving together for the two of you. Just wait and see the beauty that I am going to make out of these seemingly useless ashes. Just wait."
I tear up thinking about how good God is and how much He loves the business of redeeming brokenness. I can't wait to see what else He has in store for our story. It sure is one worth writing. He is doing some awesome things. BIG things. Unimaginable things. I'm so grateful I get to be a part of it.
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| We finished together. And in doing so, we began something new. |
Pictures courtesy of Fuel Church.
"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ..."
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