I just love how God speaks to us through other people. I literally hear God speaking to me through people every day and through every interaction, but there are moments that REALLY wake me up.
This past week, I took a part time job at one of my favorite boutique’s in Knoxville. Being in graduate school and with my research right now, I have a lot of extra time on my hands. I thought it would be nice to use some of the gifts God has given me outside of a lab coat ! I am so excited for the opportunity!
When I went to speak with the owners about a potential job, they asked me a little about myself, which typically leads into a good amount of conversation because my job is kind of unique. I told them how I worked with radioisotopes for the treatment of bone cancer out at the lab. This led to details of my job, and the fact I had to wear a suit because if I didn’t, I could possibly risk the chance of becoming contaminated. The next question that followed was something that I hear a lot, but it had never resonated in such a way before.
“So, how do you work with an isotope if you can’t see it? How do you know it's there?”
I sat there for a second, kind of blown away, thinking about how to answer this question. Well, how DID I know? That is a good question. Then, suddenly, I had another one of those moments that I talked about before. A moment where something just clicks and the lights turn on. I thought for a moment about the parallel between my job and my Faith. I work with isotopes that I have never seen. I run solutions through columns that I know contain a material that is radioactive. I know this because I can detect it with a beta or alpha detector, but I can’t actually see it. I know that the radioactive material in the solutions I work with everyday are good things – things that are being used to try and treat various types of bone cancer. I see the tools and the solutions I work with everyday, but the REAL work goes on in the unseen of the isotope (the emission of particles, decay, etc.) << Weird, nerdy, science talk :)
It kind of blows my mind how similar this is to what I believe. I believe in a God that I can’t see, yet all at the same time I can "detect" Him - I know He is there. I can’t physically touch Him, but He exists. Just like the isotopes we work with that eventually get shipped to hospitals to help people, God does that too… but on a WHOLE different level! I can't see Him, but I must trust He is present... just like I must trust the scientists above me who tell me that a particular solution contains a set amount of radioactivity. People often ask how I can believe in something I can’t see, but I need no proof. All I have to do it look at what He has done in my life and how He has changed my heart.
With a birthday coming up, it causes you to do a whole lot of reflection. I continue to be blown away when I think about who I am today as opposed to who I was a year ago. This is in no way written to toot my own horn, because I can’t take credit for any of it. I tried and tried to “fix” myself for so long, yet always failed. When we invite Christ into our lives to do that job, He takes over! The best part is He completely gives us a new heart – Sometimes I sit back and examine who I am today, even writing this, and I wonder, “Who is this girl?” Because the girl I knew for 22 years lived in darkness. However, God is gracious and He HAS changed me.. in a way I never knew would even be possible.
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Ezekiel 36:26-27
I spent most of my time through college the few weeks before my birthday counting down – counting down to a DAY where I could have full attention, all eyes on me, consumed with presents, and most likely followed by a night I wouldn’t remember. I view this birthday as something different – I look forward to getting to enjoy another year of being alive, going into work, and seeing how and where God uses me. I am so incredibly thankful for a God that puts in us a new heart! It is the greatest thing in the world! I want to encourage you today to ask God for that – He is a provider. All He asks is that we must confess Jesus as Lord, turn from our sins, and accept Him to take control of our lives. I can promise you it will be the best thing to ever happen to you! 1 Peter 1:8 is in one sentence how I would describe my entire life. Jesus can do the same thing for you that He did for me - all you have to do is ask.
"Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy."
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