The Most Beautiful Thing

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfailing, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation to be revealed in the last time." ~1 Peter 1:3-5

I am very blessed to be chosen by God for salvation. I am thankful that He called out to me and that I heeded that call. To Him be the glory for the mercy that He has shown me because without Him, I would not be born again into the Holy Spirit.
Not only do I rejoice in my own salvation, but also in the salvation of others. I believe the most beautiful thing is bearing witness to someone's salvation and actually watching that transformation of the soul unfold. Most poignant in my mind is the salvation of one of the most resilient, if not the most resilient friends that I have. I have known her for the past five years, bearing witness to all of her struggles and taking note of her grittiness and refusal to give up, even when it seemed like life and everybody else gave up on her. During the past two years, I would intermittently share the Gospel with her and invite her to my Bible study. She came twice, but never really felt comfortable.
This past spring, though, she began attending a Bible study with some coworkers and in June I received a text that was the biggest blessing and gift. She texted me to tell me that she gave her life to the Lord and she was getting baptized that night! Needless to say, I was ecstatic, and to this day, I'm still thrilled that we're sisters in Christ and can "kick Satan's butt together." Each time I get a text from her reminding me to pray about an issue in my life, or to trust God, or that she has been praying for me, I get a big grin on my face and tears in my eyes because I'm just so thankful that she is saved and blessed to have been able to bear witness to her transition and progression from nonbeliever to follower of Jesus.
I think the reason this is so fresh in my mind is because I started Monday with a text from this friend. All it said was Colossians 3:15 ~ "And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called to one body. And be thankful." It was just so refreshing not only to be encouraged by her, but to have that reminder from the Lord that anything is possible when we allow the peace of Christ to rule our hearts. Christ can calm the turmoil in anybody's life, and when the overwhelming tumults of life blow in, we must turn to Him and trust.
I definitely needed that reminder on Monday as I embarked on a 9 hour trek to North Carolina to visit friends and scope out the area for a possible move. I need to keep peace in my heart and let Christ rule it so that I can handle whatever situation life presents. Without that solid foundation of the Holy Spirit within me, God the Father above, and Jesus sitting at His right hand, I will flounder in the chaotic waves. But with Christ and the Holy Spirit in my heart, I can discern what is best when a decision has to be made. He will guide me through it all, for He took the time to knit me together in my mother's womb and share His grace and mercy so that I might enjoy eternal salvation once my job here on Earth is complete.