"I can't believe I wasted a year of my life," I grumbled. If there's anything I dislike, it's wasted time. Feeling annoyed, I let my mind go back over the past twelve months. It had been fun, I had to admit. It had seemed so meaningful--so eternal. But now, I wasn't so sure.
I had poured myself into my friend Katie*, who was a new Christian, and her sister Faith*, who was not yet saved. I had discipled Katie and witnessed to Faith. The three of us had read books together, prayed, read the Bible, and gotten involved in a fun college/career Bible study together. Besides all of that, we had gone camping, roller skating, and out to ice cream. We were all young single girls in our early 20's. It was a fun time in life. I prayed daily for my friends. I prayed for Katie to grow in Christ, and for Faith to truly come to know Jesus.
Now, it was all behind me. A quarrel had ended the friendships and fun. Katie and Faith were going in a different direction than me, and had left a note on my door, telling me so. I was hurt, and even felt used. But most of all, I knew that what had started out as godly fun had ended badly. What a way to end a story!
The thing was, that wasn't the end of the story. No one ever knows the end of the story. I was in the middle of it, but only thought it was the end.
The Apostle Paul wrote the book of Philippians from prison. He might have thought it was the end of his story. He might have thought, "Here I was leading people to Christ, and I'm stopped in my tracks and put in jail. Why?" And yet he didn't say that. Instead, he wrote in Philippians 1:12, I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. He went on to explain that, not only did it give Paul more opportunities to share the message while in prison, but it also emboldened other believers. It might have seemed discouraging, but it wasn't the end of his story.
Have you ever felt like you were at the end of the story, and you didn't like the ending? Well guess what? It isn't the end. No one knows the end of the story. Paul's mission was to reach the Gentile world for Christ, and that is still happening every day! Paul had no way of knowing the scope of what he was doing. People today are still continuing Paul's story. Every time a Gentile comes to Jesus, Paul's story goes on. He couldn't have known that back in jail. Likewise, you have no way of knowing the end of your story. You might have impacted someone by a kind word or deed. Maybe it was a small thing to do, and you forgot all about it, but the power of it lives on. Without knowing it, you might have encouraged that person just enough to enable them to go on, and accomplish something eternal that you'll never know about until Heaven! God is at work all the time, using our obedience and its ripple effects.
The long-ago day that my friendship with Katie and Faith seemed to end really hurt me, and made me feel as if all my efforts had been for nothing.
The years passed, and I tried to move on. God gave me more people to minister to, and more people to learn from and grown from. He led me to more maturity in my own life and walk. Finally, six years after my last communication with Katie and Faith, I received a letter in the mail from Faith's family. She and her now-husband (they hadn't yet been married when I knew them before, but had since married), had given their lives to the Lord, and they wanted to be friends again. They began attending my church! Not long after this, Katie and her new husband also joined our church, and the friendship was rekindled. Katie told me that the year we had spent in discipleship together remains the best year of her life, and she cherishes those times, and lives on the strength of them. That time wasn't wasted. It took time for me to see the results, but it wasn't a waste. God was using it.
I had another friend I'll call Lindsay*. We worked together, and really hit it off well. I shared Christ with her a lot, and she listened, but didn't seem to get it, or see the importance in her life. Even with my lesson about Katie and Faith behind me, I still began to think I had wasted my time with Lindsay, as she grew further and further from the things of the Lord. Then, Lindsay had a terrible experience this year. A crime was committed against her, and she told me everything I said about Jesus came back to her. She said God alone got her through the ordeal, and she has begun reading the Bible and praying, and is now receptive when I share Jesus with her. Again, God was at work, but it just wasn't obvious to me. We have to be paitent. It isn't the end of the story yet.
We don't even always see results in this life, but one day in Heaven, I believe we will see the amazing results of God at work through us in ways we didn't even know! Everything done for Him lasts, even if we don't see it, or even remember it! The Apostle Paul had no way of known there would be Gentile believers all over the world in the 21st century, praising Jesus and spreading the word. His obedience outlasted his life, and has become a crown of glory! Just think what God can do with your obedience? Your story isn't done yet! Don't get discouraged in the middle. Be like Paul was in jail. Think about how He has used you, and take joy in Him, knowing He is still writing the story! In Him, the best is always yet to come!
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