Atheist meets Christian

"Are you one of the technicians from this church?" I asked the young man standing in the hall during the preparations for my livestream concert. His answer came out of the blue: "No, I'm an atheist."

Due to pandemic measures, there were only a few people on site, and I was very surprised that an atheist, of all people, was now sitting in front of the stage. After the concert, I approached him and asked, "So, how did you like it?"

He searched for the right words, then said, "It was different. How can I say it? Everything was perfect—the sound, the music, everything—but honestly, it was your 'joie de vivre' and that radiance that touched me. How can you be so radiant after all you've been through?"

friend, it's your radiance that will open doors to hearts that vow, "I will never let anyone in here again."

I'm often confronted with this "why are you so radiant?" question. I think back to the many times I sat in my apartment and wept bitterly. Or the time I was going through depression and couldn't shine for months. The time I had an eating disorder, when every smile was fake.

What's the reason I didn't get stuck there? "'...Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.'" (Nehemiah 8:10, NKJV)! 

You may have heard this verse many times, but what does it mean to you today, here and now? What, then, is joy in the Lord? Joy is to know and to say out loud, "I know that God is my Savior! I know that I am no longer lost! I know that I am loved! I know that He holds my present and past in His hand!" I could go on writing these things, and my smile would keep growing wider.

Try it sometime, friend! Speak these truths out loud and ask God to give you a joy that will also affect—and change—those around you! :-)

You are a miracle!