[stuck in a moment]

By David Medina

During a moment of worship, I witnessed His goodness and love for the first time. I was on stage alone at my father's church, and nothing else seemed to matter. This was right after my friends and I had just gotten done traveling and leading worship for churches, camps, and conferences, so crowds were common for me and my worship. I had just learned to play guitar, and I remember being alone on that stage and strumming the only four chords I knew. All I could do was sing my honest gratitude towards the Lord. Truly, there was nothing else I had to offer Him, and in that moment, Jesus met me there on the stage like never before. Even though no one was around to witness this, it made this encounter even more memorable. It did not matter what I had been going through or how fast-paced the world felt, I was stuck in that moment and still wished to be there again when it was just me and Jesus. Reflecting on this experience, I realize that while I had known about God’s love, I never truly understood my need for it. Even so, His love caught and embraced me; it came out of nowhere and changed so much in my life. 

Even years later, I think of this moment—the pivotal moment where I found what I had been searching for all my life. Mark Twain says, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born, and the day you find out why.” When I found out that the reason I was born was to be loved by Jesus and to spread this love, that was when the course of my life changed forever. There have been many setbacks, things I am proud of because of how God moved, and other things I regret for my lack of maturity and grace towards others. I now strive to be honest and love Him as He’s loved me. 

In that moment, time felt like it stopped, and it became clear to me that we have the ability to help others navigate the craziness of life. Meeting them where they are, and going outside our normality can help them change their lives. We can only do this though, when we truly live the life that Christ intended for us. Loving them as He loves us and in the manner in which He found us.

For many, God met you at a youth camp, others on the side of the road, and maybe like an old youth pastor of mine said in a hot tub. Whatever the story, what's important is that HE MET YOU. After years of knowing Jesus, His voice has become so familiar to me; yet, I still find myself struggling when I try to navigate life on my own. I ignore Him when I want my way and every time I find myself tracing back my steps and finding my way back, He meets me every time at the crossroads of my desires and His purpose. I write this to remember those moments. I write this to remember myself as a baby in faith and to not judge others in their process and the moment they encountered Jesus. I’ve noticed a tendency to be critical of those who have known God for a while. While I’m genuinely happy they found God; I sometimes catch myself thinking, ‘They still listen to K-Love? They play songs from when I was a kid!’ It’s not that there’s anything wrong with K-Love itself; it’s just that there’s so much new music out there. When I see them stuck in the old, it makes me question their exploration of faith.

After reading what Romans tells us not to judge others in why they eat or do not eat certain things, in that same way, the Lord spoke to me not to judge those who have yet to experience God in all His different ways. If that is how they have experienced God, then Glory to Him. These things often go unsaid, but as the years go by, we become comfortable and, with that comfort, tend to judge others for not experiencing God the way we have. I thank God for convicting me in this, and now I strive to be joyful and less critical whenever a K-Love song plays on the radio or when someone does something for Him that I might not. I may not always understand their journey, but if it’s their heart poured out to the Lord, I have no right to criticize that. Maybe that is them living the moment that changed everything for them, where it was Jesus and them.