牧師喬。奧斯丁(Joel)講述他父親當年挽救了一個年輕人的故事。 (圖)

One time, years ago, my father went to a meeting at a friend’s church. My father arrived a little late, so he simply sat down on the back row. A few minutes later, a young man came in and sat down not too far from my father. My father’s heart went out to the young man; he was deeply concerned about him. Daddy thought to himself that after the service he would speak to the young man and try to encourage him in some way. In the middle of the meeting, however, the young man got up and left.
My father felt compelled to follow him; Daddy got up from where he was sitting and went looking for him. He looked all over the front lobby of the church but couldn’t find him. He came back in and was about to give up, but he decided to check the restroom. A few other people went in there, so my father just waited. Sure enough, a few minutes later, the young man came out.
He looked surprised to see my father, so Daddy said, “I know you don’t know me, and I don’t mean to get in your business, but I’m very concerned about you. And I want you to know that God loves you and you are extremely valuable to Him.”
The young man stared back at my father, and suddenly tears began to flow down his face. He said, “My life is so messed up. I’m addicted to so many drugs that I can’t take it anymore. I decided to come to church one last time, and then I was going home to take every pill that I could find and end it all.”
Later, he told how he had seen my father sitting down the row from him. He didn’t know who Daddy was, but he was impressed by the dress shoes my father wore. Those shoes left an impression in his mind, and when he went out there, he knew Daddy was coming after him. He said, “I tried everything to get away, but everywhere I looked, those same shoes kept following me.”
My father told him, “It doesn’t matter where you are right now. You may have made mistakes. You may have failed a thousand times, but understand that it does not change your value in God’s eyes. You are not here on earth by accident. God has a plan and a purpose for your life. He has an assignment for you. And it’s not just to drift around in mediocrity.”
My father and the young man prayed together, and that night was a turning point in his life. Today, more than thirty years later, that man is a pastor of a church, and he has helped thousands of other people to make a difference in our world.
Maybe you are like that young man. Perhaps you have never fully considered what you have on the inside. You may have made mistakes, but don’t let your mistakes keep you down. Get back up and go again. Your errors or wrong choices do not change your bloodline. They don’t change what’s in you. Oftentimes, society will write a person off when he or she fails or makes poor choices, but God is not that way. God sees your potential. He knows what you’re capable of being. He’s the one who designed you, and He knows that you can still do great things. It’s in your blood.
He has programmed you with everything you need for victory. That’s why every day you can say things like, “I have what it takes. I am more than a conqueror. I am intelligent; I am talented. I am successful; I am attractive; I am an overcomer.” God put all those things in your bloodline.

_:o _({)