In return for my friendship they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer. (Ps. 109:4)
BY THE AGE OF TWENTY-THREE, Jason had already lived a long life: addicted to drugs, father of a child out of wedlock, convicted of several crimes, unable to hold a job for more than a month or so at a time. His family didn’t like to see him come around, because he was sure to steal from them to support his tremendous drug habit.
All that changed for Jason when he met Jesus. His was a radical transformation, but his family would hear none of it. They had been too hurt too often to believe that this was anything other than just Jason’s newest scam.
At a family gathering, Jason was able to talk to a cousin about Jesus, and Jesus met that cousin right there in that room. Jason was thrilled—but not his uncle. He told Jason to stay away from his kids. Jason could have been devastated, but he knew the truth: that God had made him new in Christ Jesus. He would tell you, “Everything changes when we know who we are.”
David was getting discouraged by the treatment he was receiving from his so-called friends. One thing that kept him from staying in despair was that he knew his identity before God as a man of prayer.
Jason kept loving his family. Today, most of them trust the same eternal Father.
Describe your identity in Christ Jesus today.
Annie Wamberg is a recent empty-nester. She is enjoying the quiet as well as gardening and traveling.