A Story About Jesus I've Never Told Before

I saw this question and I knew I had to answer it. A story about Jesus that's never been told before. What does that even mean? My first thought upon reading this was "Isn't any story about Jesus a story that needs to be told?" It felt like a valid answer in question form. Then I thought about more and I realized I don't know what to say to answer this question. I could spout off truths about Jesus found in the Bible, but those would all have been told. My only conclusion is to share some real life stories...

Emily

Emily was someone who encountered Jesus at a time when she didn't expect. She came to a small, Christian college in South Carolina from Boston as a devoit athiest. Her reasons for coming were numerous but many of them were forced upon her by her parents. Her plan was to come for a year and transfer somewhere else far away. Away from "Christians". She had already decided to hate it.

Her experience with the church and "christians" was a negative one.Her parents forced her to go to church but they didn't care either. So she went and there she made the first friends of her life but they were a disappointment. She lived her high school years with these "friends" who watched her waste away into this hole of nothingness. Emily started cutting in high school and the only people who knew were these "christian friends", whom she says encouraged it.

The cutting gave way to an eating disorder and suicide attempts. She tried (unsuccessfully) three times her senior year--the last one being before her move to SC. Once she came to the campus she hated it. The people were friendly and they all talked about this Jesus and this God that she didn't believe existed. She thought they were crazy. Being in the new place didn't help. She was still sad, hateful and miserable. She later revealled that she continued cutting, even with her roommate there, until the second semester.

The spring semester, Emily still found herself in the same condition. Only now, she didn't fit at home anymore (as her Christmas break proved). She was an outsider at school with crazy Christians and at home in the safety of her family. Her suitemates asked Emily to go to a conference in late January and she agreed only because they wouldn't stop asking her. At that conference, she laughed as everyone worshipped God. There was no way he was real.

Back at school, her friends urged her to come to BCM so she did. Then, they left her alone. In March it was Emily's birthday. On this particular day, BCM was having Silent Worship and two of her friends were leaders and had to go. She told everyone she didn't want to celebrate because the year before no one remembered. She didn't care if they remembered or not. She told them to go to BCM but she wasn't coming.There were two things she hated: BCM and Silent Worship.

She did come. She had a plan. She was going to journal and then get up and leave. She wasn't staying. She walked around the stations and sat by herself in the back hallway. She was just still and quiet, thinking about a good time to leave when her roommate sat beside her. She put a bible down on her lap and said "read this." Emily didn't make it past the third verse.

Psalm 69: 1-3 Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God.

Emily sobbed, finally realizing how tired she was of fighting. Of not believing. Of being empty. She doesn't remember who was there with her or what happened or anything except what she's been told. I was there with her. I know what happened. People walked by her, prayed for her and walked on. Myself and her roommate sat with her in our arms as she cried and we whispered into her ears. But really, that doesn't matter. Emily says she doesn't care what happened because on that night, she met Jesus. And he has saved her and filled her completely.

It's been 8 months since Emily started walking with the Lord. Her athiest brother disowned her. Her family is struggling. Her days are hard and sleepless because of school work. But God is good. She is growing, loving. You can see the joy that radiates from her life now--where it used to be darkness. Jesus changed her life. That's a story that's never been told.

This is just one girl's story. There are more that I can tell you, more that would blow your mind. Jesus is always working, always moving. He's writing stories as we speak, stories that are waiting to be told. Maybe they are being told right now, if we go listen.