OUR STORY
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
A number of years ago, my students and I were talking about our spring break trips and I began telling them our now infamous Mexico story. . .
Shortly after take-off for our week in paradise, my husband showed signs of a heart attack. Landing in Atlanta, an ambulance whisked him to the hospital where, after numerous tests, the diagnosis was kidney stones. Being released the following morning, we rebooked flights and proceeded on a day behind schedule.
Arriving south of the border around midnight and minus any sign of luggage, we discovered the resort had rebooked our rooms and offered us a tiny basement one-bedroom in need of major renovation and air freshener. But, in a gesture of compassion, they issued us toothbrushes, toothpaste, and resort t-shirts which doubled as pajamas and our following day’s attire.
Vacation bliss returned the next afternoon as our luggage arrived and we were upgraded to a beautiful penthouse suite with a large balcony. Changing into legitimate swim attire, we settled in by the pool with books in hand. Ahhhh!
Suddenly and without warning, a 7.6 earthquake rocked our lounge chairs and all panic broke out as water lapped out of the swimming pool and all over us. Hours passed before the resort could be inspected, electricity reinstated, and we could return to our rooms. Unfortunately, restaurants closed and our family turned HANGRY as we rationed out our meager airplane peanuts for dinner that night.
Assuming we had surely met our quota of vacation tragedy, the 7.1 aftershock the following day caught us totally off guard. In deja vue mode, we quickly abandoned the building and plopped down on the sand where I informed my husband, “I am on tsunami-watch now, and If I see one coming, I declare this vacation officially over!”
Laughter rolled as I told my story. Then, with all seriousness, one student said, “Mrs. Cochrane, that’s the best story ever! I wish that was my story!”
I chuckled and remarked that I hoped we were the only humans on the planet with that particular story. But, never doubt, she would live out the adventures of her own life’s story and it would belong solely to her.
But always remember, there is one totally amazing story that belongs to all. It is the story of Jesus and his redeeming love. Any life story we live out pales in comparison to the ongoing chapters of the love of Jesus. Our story is showcased in one of my favorite hymns, Blessed Assurance.
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
Refrain:
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.
This is the greatest story ever told, and the blessed assurance is, it belongs to all humanity! It is our story of a loving Father’s redemption of us. It is our story of a glorious life with God eternally. It is our story of mercy and love. It is our story of Jesus, who claims us as his. Yes, we all can share this story. This one is OUR AMAZING STORY!
Father, thank you for making us all part of your amazing story.
Blessings,
Rita