I remember one of the first rom-com movies I watched with my mother. In retrospect, it was a sappy movie loosely based on Romeo and Juliet. I was learning about romance and the magic of falling in love. At the end of the movie, the leading pair stand at the edge of a cliff, not wanting to live without each other. They gaze longingly into each other’s eyes, and the next scene is a pair of birds soaring through the air – The End.
I was disappointed with the movie. I turned to my mom and asked, “What happened after that? Did they live? What is the point of this movie? What did their life look like if they survived?” She said that it was left to the imagination of the viewer. That triggered me even more, “Why do I have to imagine? What is the point of this movie?” Needless to say, I still wonder what happens to people after the “Happily Ever After” ending.
I feel the same way when I am asked “When were you saved?” I love stories about testimonies like many of my brothers and sisters in Christ. Mine was inspired by Isaiah 44:14-20. My idols were literal idols. I bought into the spiritual vibes, energy, aura, and feelings that Eastern religion pushes on you. And just like that, while I was reading the following verses, I was released from the shackles of human assumption of power. It was replaced by the omnipotent and the sole provider of everything we need and want.
‘He cuts down cedars for himself,
And takes the cypress and the oak;
He secures it for himself among the trees of the forest.
He plants a pine, and the rain nourishes it.15 Then it shall be for a man to burn,
For he will take some of it and warm himself;
Yes, he kindles it and bakes bread;
Indeed he makes a god and worships it;
He makes it a carved image, and falls down to it.
16 He burns half of it in the fire;
With this half he eats meat;
He roasts a roast, and is satisfied.
He even warms himself and says,
“Ah! I am warm,
I have seen the fire.”
17 And the rest of it he makes into a god,
His carved image.
He falls down before it and worships it,
Prays to it and says,
“Deliver me, for you are my god!”18 They do not know nor understand;
-Isaiah 44:14-20
For He has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see,
And their hearts, so that they cannot understand.
19 And no one considers in his heart,
Nor is there knowledge nor understanding to say,
“I have burned half of it in the fire,
Yes, I have also baked bread on its coals;
I have roasted meat and eaten it;
And shall I make the rest of it an abomination?
Shall I fall down before a block of wood?”
20 He feeds on ashes;
A deceived heart has turned him aside;
And he cannot deliver his soul,
Nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?” ‘
But I think what is more exciting is what happens to us who submit to Christ. The transformation is breathtaking — the shattering of hard-hearted behaviors into loving servitude, the beauty of eternal life beginning to unfurl, drawing us closer and closer to our loving, merciful God. Our faith in Him deepens and life begins to fill with gratitude, joy, and hope. And to think, this is just the beginning.
“6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;”
-Philippians 1:6
Dear God,
Your grace healed me and set me on a path of love, joy, and hope. Your untiring love for me continues to sanctify a sinner like me. I have faith that You will not stop until the work You started in me is perfected in You. May my actions and words bring You glory. Amen.