A Lovely Person

Do you sometimes feel that life holds more than what it is showing you? I remember sitting around my apartment thinking about the life-long journey that I was about to partake of and where it was taking me. Sure, some say that it’s all in the journey and the moments of joy and sadness, but I was wondering if there was a purpose, a goal at the end of this journey. Shortly after, I received an offer to work for a local engineering firm and I was extremely excited and threw myself into my work. We even got national attention for the prototype that I helped design. I thought I was doing something worthy, doing my small part towards the progress of humanity.

Everything seemed to be falling into place and then, suddenly one night, when my boss invited all of us to a local bar across the street, I saw a glimpse of my journey. Not so much my own journey but that of someone who, in perspective, was much more accomplished than I , with more experience, someone who had run many more miles on this journey. I saw the lives of the firm’s owners as they sat there, talking and joking about the people and situations they saw on the job. As the conversation about their jobs died down, I found out more about their personal lives, and the more and more I listened, the more uneasiness I found within myself.

At the time I did not know why; at the surface they seemed successful, and they seemed to have what they wanted, but I didn’t understand why I felt so uneasy. It’s true that sometimes they were at work for too many hours, and maybe their personal live suffered for that but those were their personal issues, right? Then I saw their expression and what was behind those busy faces after they ran out of jokes and stories. It was bitterness that I saw. It was bitterness from whatever afflictions they were dealt, but that was not that made uneasy since I know they had accepted them and were moving on. What made me uneasy was the fact that I had seen other people that did not have those same bitter faces, expressions, and hearts.

A sister called me in my locality that faithfully invited me to the young people’s meeting. I went, and there I started to remember the times I had touched my spirit and the sweetness I had tasted before the long time I was away. So when I was asked if I wanted to go to a college conference, I took the opportunity to see if there are pleasures. I had a lot of questions in my head on the way there, and even more uncertainties.

I can testify however all those doubts and uncertainties somehow just faded away as soon as we entered into the first night’s meeting. The aroma and fragrance of God saturated the room full of lovers of this Christ, and the presence of God was there. It was there that I saw a glimpse of my eternal purpose, and it was much higher than just merely earthly gains. I saw the most attractive One, and His presence just melted all thoughts away. He has captivated me again, and it was not because of any religious duty or even a sense of right and wrong but just His lovely person, and His desire to have His counterpart.

1 Peter 1:8, "Whom having not seen, you love; into whom though not seeing Him at present, yet believing, you exult with joy that is unspeakable and full of glory,"

—R. L.