The man who had been freed from the demons begged to go with him. But Jesus sent him home, saying, "No, go back to your family, and tell them everything God has done for you." So he went all through the town proclaiming the great things Jesus had done for him. — Luke 8:38-39 NLT
We put so much weight into what others say. We are guided by shared accounts of experiences, both negatively and positively. We watch, the best we can, to see the actual result of an action – to assess if it is the result that we would desire for ourselves. This is why reviews and testimonies are a leading influencer in one's buying decision.
The healed man referenced above was so altered and overjoyed that he begged to join Jesus on his journey. Yet, Jesus knew that the man's open disclosure of what had transpired would impact many; one endorsement would ultimately impress the masses. And here we are, telling his story more than two thousand years later.
Our chronicle is similar to the man in the book of Luke, as we were touched by God and freed from the demon of addiction. We did nothing special or complicated to receive this sovereignty, this freedom. God, by grace, turned hopelessness into hopefulness, dark into light, and death into life.
The encounter of transformation, post-conversion, is the base of peace on which we now exist. It is from a position of appreciation that an authentic relationship with our creator occured. He unconditionally loved and so dramatically changed the trajectory of our eternal reality that our natural response is one of gratitude and the responsibility to share the good news.
We want the world to know about this unexpected and overwhelming change. We wish this experience and relationship on our family and friends – desiring peace and harmony for our neighbors.
We know now that we cannot force this scenario on anybody, realizing that it is ultimately God's timing that those we care about are touched in accordance with His plan. This does not cause hesitation on our part to share our story in hopes that the observer will find their way to the road that leads them to His hope.
There came a time for us when we had nowhere left to turn, and it was there that we accepted the truth and decided to pursue the light. We had been equipped for our moment by those who preceded us. We remembered their stories. We saw their comfort. We witnessed their transformations. We learned from them and from the man in Luke.
Today, we attest to those interested in listening that change is possible, that a relationship is a reality, and that the promise of a blissful eternity exists for those who choose to accept.
We give our life experience a five-star review.
Thoughts and ideas for this blog post were taken and built upon from asweunderstandhim.coffee podcast “Rooted Week 9 "Why and how should we tell others?" … The podcast dropped on 10/8/2023. Click here to hear the podcast.
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
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