Have you ever had one of those eye-opening moments that catch you off guard? It’s like when a friend vents to you about their problems and asks for your advice, and even though you initially have no clue what to say, somehow, you end up sharing the most insightful words that not only surprise you but can also be useful in your own life. I had such an experience three or maybe four weeks ago, and it has weighed on my heart ever since.
It was a Friday evening, and I was out evangelising with two members of my Tribe. We usually talk to adults when evangelising, but on that day, we decided to focus on tweens and teenagers. We started by talking to a wonderful group of kids, aged six to twelve, who came from both Christian and Muslim backgrounds. They were attentive as we shared stories about Jesus, and let me tell you, children ask the most fascinating questions.
Afterwards, we had the opportunity to meet a teenage girl whom I’ll call Faith for the rest of this newsletter. It was during our conversation with Faith that I experienced the enlightening moment I mentioned earlier. Since then, it has stayed with me and continues to occupy my thoughts.
During our discussion that evening, we started by asking Faith about her relationship with God. She opened up and shared that although she believed in God’s existence, she didn’t consider herself a Christian and rarely attended church. When we asked her why, she explained that she was struggling with certain vices and couldn’t trust herself to resist them if she became a Christian. Above all, she feared disappointing God with her weaknesses. So, she wanted to wait until she felt strong enough to overcome those sins before inviting God into her life.
We took the time to explain to Faith that her weaknesses were the exact reason she needed to rely on God because no matter how long she waited to become “strong enough,” it simply was impossible to overcome sin without the help of the Holy Spirit, which God freely gives to every believer. We also shared that while we weren’t encouraging her to go on sinning after choosing salvation, she should find comfort in knowing that forgiveness is always available with God. Then, we emphasized that the devil can be a master of deception, filling our minds with convincing lies and illusions at times. Lies like God doesn’t love us as much as He says He does and we have all the time in the world to figure things out on our own—because we really don’t.
Seeing things from Faith’s perspective wasn’t hard because I was in her shoes merely two years ago. Unless you were raised in a Christian family and have always held onto your beliefs, chances are you can relate to putting off the decision to accept salvation until some distant future. Even now, as a Christian, I catch myself falling into the trap of thinking I have all the time in the world. And it seems like many of us have this mindset. We might not want to admit it, but it’s evident in how we live our lives complacently, without any sense of urgency that Christ could come any moment now.
If we truly believed the rapture could occur in the next few seconds, I believe many Christians would live their lives much more intentionally than they do now. Every single minute would be valued as if it were our last. When that happens, we wouldn’t put off studying the Scriptures to watch a movie, nor would we hold onto grudges instead of trying to forgive those who have wronged us.
Most importantly, we wouldn’t abandon our unbelieving friends, relatives, or neighbors to face their own fate. Because if we truly grasped the weight of eternal damnation awaiting unbelievers, we wouldn’t take any chances by waiting for the “perfect opportunity” to talk to them, especially knowing they might be one conversation away from getting saved and that tomorrow might be one day too late to do anything about it.
The same holds true for Christians struggling with depression. Lately, I have had my moments of despair and overwhelm, and I shared a bit about it in my last newsletter. If I said things have gotten better since then, I would be lying, but one thing I remind myself of whenever it becomes tempting to stay apart from God is this: “Even if you run away now, you know deep down you’ll still find your way back to God. And you also know that no matter how restless you are now, no one can comfort you better than He can. So, why not just stay with Him?”
Even when I eventually sideline God, those thoughts keep pricking my conscience, saying, You know you’ll return to Him eventually. Why not do it now rather than later? And it’s not easy—believe me, I totally get it. But still, this is something we have to strive to do, in spite of how we feel about it.
The truth is, time is slipping away faster than we realize, and this world is slowly fading into oblivion. We can’t afford to be complacent anymore, and I’m saying this to myself as much as anyone else. It’s time to wake up, live with purpose, and learn to place God at the very core of our existence every single day.
I know this might seem too demanding, especially if you’re currently going through a rough patch and feel like you’ve hit rock bottom. But I truly believe that God's grace is sufficient for us, and His strength shines brightest in our moments of weakness. And I know He will meet us at the point of our needs and overwhelm us with His peace. Still, my prayer is that we embrace our responsibilities and approach life with the right sense of urgency and intentionality, relying solely on God to guide us every step of the way.
Questions to Reflect On
If you knew for certain the rapture would occur in exactly twenty-four hours, how would you spend the little time you have left?
Knowing the rapture could occur at any moment, don’t you think it’s more rewarding to live each day of your life the way you highlighted in your answer to the question above?
One Thing That Blessed Me This Week
“Feeling Low” by Will Reagan & United Pursuit. A dear friend shared this song with me two Sundays ago when I couldn’t motivate myself to attend church. Since then, it has become one of my favourites, and it’s currently playing in the background as I type. You can listen to this wonderful song on YouTube Music or Spotify.
Obinna,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Thank you for being honest and sometimes vulnerable when writing. Thank you for this newsletter.
Your words remind me again of how God loves me and how his Grace is sufficient for me, especially in times such as now when I berate myself for not being as close to him as I should.
Sighs.
I will probably have to read this again. Thank you.