The other evening I decided to "stay in" instead of going to a prayer time at school, and I'm so glad I did. I randomly ran into a friend I knew from Bethany University and got to talk with him about where he is now and how the adjustment has been for him. He expressed to me how he was still grieving over what he had lost. The joy and safety and spiritual guidance he had felt at Bethany had become a void within him.
My heart hurt for his loss. I never felt very attached to Bethany, but in my life I have felt these same feelings. I have hurt the way I saw him hurting. I have lost a "home," friendships, security, and purpose of a place I loved dearly. I know what it is to grieve over a loss such as this.
As he expressed his hurts, my heart welled with words to share with him, they are words I have learned and applied to myself over the years. They are truths God has taught me through all the changes I have faced. What a blessing to know that my story is not in vain, that God can and is using it to encourage and strengthen others. What a joy to know that the pain I once felt, which has been turned to joy and blessing, can be of use to others.
I left the conversation joyful and encouraged. I knew exactly why I was supposed to "stay in" that night. I knew that God used me through my story to love on one of His children. What a blessing to partner with my Father in such a beautiful way.
