Mike’s Exodus [the life change]

Like I said, I knew I was drowning in the flood of my “normal” life. I felt this urge…this calling…that desperately wanted me to see things differently. But I couldn’t see through the cloudy walls I’d built up for myself. The thought of getting hit by a bus didn’t scare me because I was afraid of the pain – it scared me because I was afraid of where I’d end up when I died.

But I kept doing what I knew. It was hard to change habits, and if reading and writing without a purpose, playing video games, and having more than a few drinks on any given weekend were getting me by each week, I wasn’t really too compelled to change things up.

God could keep calling my name. I just figured I’d turn the music up a bit louder and hope He thought I was ignoring him on accident.

{something new}

Then, a different light entered my life. I guess God got tired of waiting for me to figure things out on my own. Sometimes I think He did what He did as sort of a last chance kind of thing. Like, if I didn’t recognize the gift He was handing me, I’d never recognize anything He had planned for my future.

Regardless, through some mutual friends and a gathering of said mutual friends, I met a girl named Lindsie. She was stunningly gorgeous (so much so that I felt moved to get up and introduce myself just in case she, for whatever bizarre reason, was single), she stood about 6’2” but was more graceful than any woman my height I’d ever met, and she seemed to radiate a light that I couldn’t quite put into words.

She was amazing. And I’m pretty sure God put her there to tell me, “This could be a part of your future, so straighten up, idiot.” So I did what I’d always done when God sent me messages like that. I ignored her for three months. Yep. Three whole months of thinking about how great she was and not having the nerve to just give her a call.

Luckily, God didn’t give up on me yet. After those three months, I ran into her downtown. I mentioned that we should hang out and, to my utter amazement, she said she thought we should hang out too. So I ignored her for another week. Finally, she texted me and invited me to game night. I accepted, and then we hung out nearly every single day or evening for the next five months.

{a changing world}

During those five months, my life saw an overhaul. Lindsie radiated this…passion for life and for the Lord that was impossible to ignore. I saw this strength in her, this confidence that couldn’t be shaken by what the “normal” world thought or said. Most importantly, I saw a happiness that didn’t come from partying for a weekend straight or living a life of emptiness. I saw that, with Jesus in her life, Lindsie didn’t need anything else at all.

Sometimes I felt like a charity case. With so much happiness and fulfillment, why would she put up with my junk? My sarcasm, my addiction to rap music, and all of the other things in my life that did nothing for her. What I realized is that she wasn’t put off by my tendencies and lifestyle, she just saw greater potential in me than I had ever dreamed of seeing in myself.

It was that realization that helped me start pulling myself together. Suddenly, I was seeing things in a different light. This passion she had for God and for Jesus was something I could have too. And, for the first time in my life, it wasn’t an act. It wasn’t me “knowing” I should believe and forcing a feeling that wasn’t really there. I now wanted that light that shone out of her. I didn’t want to simply be the moon to her sun, reflecting her radiance and never shining for myself. I wanted to be a sun too.

And for the first time in my life, I realized I could have that. And the amazing thing is that ALL of us can have it if we truly want it. And since I’ve began to make that transition (and trust me, I’m still VERY far from where I’m sure God wants me to be in the future), I’ve started to understand that God has a higher calling for me. This walk is more than an adventure. It’s a chance to finally have the impact I’ve always dreamed of having on the world. An impact that my old life would have never offered me.

{now what?}

Honestly, there’s more to it than that. It’s not just about having an impact. But right now, that’s the best way to put it. God has finally broken through what I always considered “normal” and has shown me something that is truly better. And I think He wants me (with Lindsie’s gracious help) to show the rest of the world the same thing.

I’m excited to pursue it further. I’m excited that you’ll be coming along for the journey. You are coming along for the journey, right? Because I’d love for you to be here with me. Whether I’ve known you for years or we’ve never met once, I don’t care. There’s something to this God thing, and I’m not about to leave anyone behind.

So, like I asked before, you’re coming along , right?

Good. Glad to have you. Now keep reading. We both still have a lot to learn.

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