Preparing to Meet Jesus
At first, I wanted to prepare materially, just as other people were recommending. I did not have the resources or the ability to do those things. I decided that if I could not physically prepare for survival, I would prepare to meet Jesus.
I took repentance seriously. I also took seriously the idea that I might not be here much longer. Because of that, I held nothing back. I gave everything I could and made sure people knew what I knew about Jesus, because that might have been my last chance to say anything.
I fully believed that the end was coming and that it was right in front of me. I believed just as strongly in eternity, and I was determined, with everything I had, to make it there.
My tone was never about saying goodbye. It was always, “I want to see you there too.”
I also thought, “What if I don’t make it?” If that was a possibility, I wanted to do everything I could to help other people avoid ending up where I did not want to be. I studied all day and shared everything I learned with anyone who would listen.
Beginning with Forgiveness
For me, it began with forgiveness. I focused on the best, even when the best was not what I was seeing in that moment. I carried all of the best moments with me in every moment and disregarded the harm I had understood as intentional.
Before that, my go-to reaction had been to escape the situation immediately. In practice, forgiveness meant setting aside my own protection, but that was not how I understood it at the time. I saw an opportunity to follow Jesus, a kind of rite of passage.
I was not thinking about whether I would be harmed. I was already familiar with being hurt. I had been hurt thousands of times before, and I felt that it had all been for nothing. If I was going to be hurt, I wanted it to be for something that mattered to me: understanding forgiveness.
Looking back, I still regard those choices as right and necessary in my own journey. I do not describe them as something I regret.
Why I Misunderstood Another Person’s Preparation
Over time, I began to think material preparation was foolish or a waste of time. I saw people speaking to believers’ fears, and I believed some were trying to become rich from people who believed in Jesus but did not yet know what to do with their lives.
I was not angry because other people could prepare materially while I could not. I did not believe everybody had to begin where I began. I thought I could help them skip a step that seemed unnecessary to me, or at least less important than the spiritual preparation I had discovered.
I wanted to help. But what I was trying to communicate became skewed by my own imperfect love and understanding.
Committing Myself Completely
I had always been involved in more than one thing that I imagined. The change came when I committed myself to fulfilling everything I had ever imagined.
I understood this as fulfilling my own responsibilities that Jesus had given me. As a consequence, I saw that the people preparing materially were doing the exact same thing.
My appreciation came automatically. I was full of love and wonder toward them, like I was a child again.
The Love and Memories Returned Together
I had seen them that way before. When I say I was like a child again, I mean that literally in describing my experience. The time when I could not see them that way was a temporary blockage, though I did not know then that it was temporary.
During that period, I could not remember ever feeling differently toward them. I could not remember even one of the good times we had shared. Those memories were unavailable to me.
Then it happened in a moment. All of the love and the remembrance came flooding back at once.
It felt as though I had come home to paradise, as though I had always belonged there but had forgotten. It was like having amnesia and suddenly remembering everything. Only when it returned did I realize how lost I had felt: as though I had been away in a strange, scary place where there was no hope.
Looking back, I understood my carelessness in continuing to live without forgiving them as what had kept me in that place. It had seemed like no big deal, until the love and memories returned and I recognized what I had been missing.
What I Was Longing For
I wanted something I knew existed but did not yet understand. It was the perfection I understood Jesus to call us toward: to be innocent and pure.
After forgiving, I regarded the people who had hurt me as unaware of their actions and behavior toward me. I could still recognize that their behavior was inappropriate to the circumstances. At the same time, I understood it differently and wanted to respond to what I saw as the heart of their struggle.
What I Mean by Keeping the Faith
Regardless of how I feel about a situation or what outcomes I can imagine, keeping the faith means following the guidance God has given us.
When someone is struggling, I share that guidance in relation to the issue before us. My response is an expression of faith. I explain that it comes from God.
The opportunities to practice this are endless. I have encountered them in every kind of situation.
Faith in an Everyday Interaction
In one recent interaction, I put this into practice. The person was crying and, as I saw it, full of fear. There was aggression, hostility, threats, and an openly stated intention to cause harm.
I reassured them that there was nothing to fear and explained why I believed there was nothing to worry about. I shared what Jesus said and what God said. I reflected the situation back to them, including my demeanor and theirs.
Afterward, the person was no longer crying. They were smiling, laughing, full of life, sweet, and playful. I understood that change as evidence of the effectiveness of what I had shared.
How My Testimony Was Present
I did not tell the person a story about my own experiences. I spoke the Word of God with great passion and complete belief. My voice and passion had been shaped by practicing those teachings in my own life, including times when I had been afraid and aggressive.
When I described this as a piece of my testimony suited to the moment, I meant that everything I expressed, including what I saw of its effectiveness, was evidence of my testimony. My life experiences had shaped how I spoke; I was not recounting them to the person.
What Blessing Someone Looks Like to Me
Take care of their needs and let them know you are there to help. Ask genuinely. Offer to help.
There is no specific script. What matters is being genuine and sincere in what you say.
Loving My Brother Through Different Stages
I began to see that another person’s preparation could serve a purpose. For some people, practical preparation may bring relief. After doing what they believe they need to do materially, deeper fears or concerns may become easier for them to recognize.
A person may need different forms of guidance at different times. Progress can move forward, backward, or back and forth between stages. What I can see of someone’s present stage does not tell me the whole history of their journey.
My understanding is that a person’s path is complete in the moments when they are giving Jesus their all. The measure, for me, is loving God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, and loving my neighbor as myself. I understand the second as following naturally from the first.
Recognizing that they were doing the same thing I was doing changed how I saw them. I was full of love and wonder again.







