All of Heaven Waits For a Sinner to Come Home

       Sunday night at church I heard a message that caused such a revelation in my heart. No one is too far gone from the grace and goodness of Jesus. Like I said, this message was heard at church but God blessed my heart by letting me see and feel what it means to never be out of God's reach.

Last week I met Lieutenant Steve at the East Harlem Salvation Army who is originally from Kentucky, but moved to New York City because he fell in love with serving the poor in Harlem. He shared with my team a little about his family, explaining that his sister is in training to begin working at the Salvation Army as well. When asked about the rest of his family, he explained with complete confidence that they were "Pre-Christian" because he knows and trusts that God will transform their hearts on His time. No one is too far gone.

      Yesterday I met a man who shared with me a lot about his journey and how he became who he is. He was raised in Ghana in a Hindu home, but to get an education during that time he had to attend a catholic church. He grew up surrounded by two very different and conflicting belief systems. Hinduism being his parents beliefs, not his own, and Christianity being somewhat forced on him. He formed different opinions about both, one providing him with education and basic needs like clothing or food, the other feeling very much like rituals and rules without spiritual connection. As he grew older he fell in love with a woman who begged him to move to New York City with her, so he did, unfortunately the couple separated leaving this man homeless in Harlem. He stayed at a homeless shelter on the very same street as the East Harlem Salvation Army, and one day he felt a deep yearning to attend some sort of church service. When he walked past the Salvation Army he was invited in. He continued to attend service there and also began working in the kitchen as a dishwasher. Within the first month of this new job he began preaching at the Sunday Services. He's been a christian for only three years but has an abundant amount of biblical knowledge and a deep and passionate love for God. No one is too far gone.

      My brother has been an atheist for as long as I can remember. When I began going to church and discovering my faith he tried to challenge me by asking deep, theological questions that I still cannot answer. I've seen in him that deep haunting emptiness that longs to be filled with a sense of purpose, the emptiness that we all feel when we don't know Who we are living for. I've seen his struggle with depression and guilt, always feeling like he's done too much wrong and can't move forward. At times I've even felt like there's no turning back for him. But two weeks ago I received a phone call from my mom that brought tears of joy to my eyes when she explained that my faith-lacking,'too far gone' brother had cried out the name of Jesus. I don't know his heart and I don't know the plans that the Lord has for him but I know that he is not too far gone.

      No one is, or will ever be too far gone. We serve a God who knows our hearts. He knows our pain and emptiness because He came to experience it Himself. He understands our yearning for purpose and He fills our souls with His perfect peace, love and grace. Because in our emptiness we have the opportunity to turn to God and fully receive Him. This is not an altar call, or a sermon, or a salvation prayer. This is not a way of life, religion, or part of a culture. This is not a labelled relationship. Jesus is beyond all of our labels and categories. Jesus is life, the only life. And every breath is a second chance.

**The title of this blog post, and a lot of ideas are based off of Carl Lents' sermon called "Just Hold On, I'm Coming Home"

Thank you for reading and continue to pray for family, friends, and strangers that you may have once labelled "too far gone"