The Time I Royally Messed Up
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The following article has been excerpted from Looking for the One by David McIver.
One of my favorite ways to connect with Jesus is to end the day by talking to him.
I ask him to show me the day from his perspective. Often he brings to mind a small moment of obedience that pleased his heart. In those moments, he convicts me or encourages me.
I used to end almost every day feeling like a failure, but now I end my day just talking to Jesus. He knows I stumble and fall, and yet he loves me!
In March of 2018, I flew from Minneapolis to Fort Myers, and as I was falling asleep afterwards, I asked Jesus about my day. I immediately sensed his still, small voice: “The woman next to you on the plane, she doesn’t know me, and I wanted you to talk to her.” I felt the conviction of the Holy Spirit. I thought back to taking my seat and thinking I had too much to do. I was too tired to look for the one.
I could picture the older woman seated next to me, and I had helped with her bag. We had introduced ourselves to each other, and I remembered that her name was Pat. I had mentioned that I worked in Christian radio. But my non-verbals must have been clear. I was not interested in a conversation.
I asked forgiveness for not speaking to her. Then as I drifted off to sleep, I asked Jesus if he would give me a second chance to share the gospel with Pat. I know—what a ridiculous prayer. But think about it for a moment. If the God of the Universe wants you to share the gospel with someone, is it absurd for him to move heaven and earth to give you a second chance?
The next day was one of those beautiful Florida days with not a cloud in the sky. I arrived at Hammond Stadium for a Twins game and joined over 8,000 people streaming into the stadium. As I reached the main concourse, I looked up and did a double-take. The older woman walking in front of me looked like the woman from the plane. Could it be? Over the din of the crowd, I said, “Pat, is that you?!”
She stopped. She turned around. Then I saw her smiling face. After a word of greeting, I opened with, “Pat, I want to apologize for being such a poor company on the flight.”
She said, “I had hoped to talk to you, but I could see you were busy.”
I am not sure how Jesus does this, but suddenly it seemed like we were the only two people standing in the concourse. Even the noise around us seemed to fade.
“Pat, what was it you wanted to talk about?”
“When I was a little girl, our family went to hear Billy Graham. As he gave the invitation to come forward, I wanted to go but felt I wasn’t good enough. That was over fifty years ago. Since then, I’ve never felt like the good in my life outweighed the bad. I’ve always wondered what I should do.”
I gave Pat a copy of the Salvation Poem and then shared the good news from Romans 5:8: “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” In other words, because of Jesus, it’s not about the good outweighing the bad. While we were still sinners, he gave his life for our sins.
I briefly shared, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
I held Pat’s hands as she bowed her head and accepted Jesus as her Savior. After waiting for so many years, her eyes opened, and joy radiated to every part of her face. Then, I realized the rest of the story.
“Pat, do you know what is happening at this exact moment?”
“No.”
“You mentioned that over 50 years ago, you went to a Billy Graham crusade. His funeral is taking place right now. Of all the times you could have given your life to Christ, Jesus chose this time.”
Billy’s funeral was on March 2, 2018, and we laughed together at the thought that now Pat would be able to thank him in person for planting the seed of the gospel all those years before.
At that moment, Pat’s son walked up and noticed that his mom had been crying. “Mom, are you okay?” As they walked away, I heard Pat say, “Something just happened that I want to tell you about.”
I stood there, overwhelmed with the presence of God. He answered my prayer! Then it occurred to me: Jesus had given both of us a second chance.
Stories of Seeing the Lost, Lonely, and Broken Through the Eyes of Jesus
“I would love to share my faith, but I don’t know what to say. My attempts feel awkward and forced. Sometimes, I push people away. I would never admit this, but I’ve started to avoid conversations about Jesus.”
Looking For The One is short stories about people experiencing Jesus in grocery stores, hospitals, and dugouts. Each story models walking with Jesus as He finds the lost through you.
As you witness the power of the gospel in your everyday life, you discover that the first life to be changed is yours.
Because as you look for the one, you become like the One.You become more like Jesus.
