For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
John 3:16-17

But he was pierced for our transgressions,  
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds, we are healed.
Isaiah 53:5

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“What are you thankful for?” our team leader asked in a meeting. It’s a simple question, really, isn’t it? A kind of benign one, like, how are you? Often, we answer questions like these with a canned response—or at least I do. I’m thankful for my family, my job, and my health. And while these might all be truthful responses, they’re often rote ones. Who has time to really think long and hard about it? Deadlines are looming and we have an agenda to get to. 

But something felt different that day, and my response was anything but rote. With tears puddling in my lower lids, I said, “I’m thankful for Jesus. I wasn’t raised in a believing home, and yet, He pursued me, and everything changed.” I was a bit caught off guard at that moment and, honestly, glad I work at a church knowing that my response elicits a different reaction in this environment than it might in others.

Nonetheless, that was the gut-level honest truth. When I was 16, Jesus met me in an undeniable way. It took quite a few years after that until I finally relented to His loving pursuit and committed my life to Him, but He never gave up on me. And my hope and prayer is I’ll never give up on Him. 

Whether you were raised in a God-honoring home or not is irrelevant. If you are following Jesus today, it’s because He pursued you. His relentless love drove Him to come to earth in the most vulnerable of ways, as a baby, and live His life knowing it would end in the most horrific way possible—all so we could join in His kingdom here and now and in eternity. As we begin this Advent season, let’s prepare our hearts and minds for the coming King. No matter the whirling circumstances surrounding us, we have much to be grateful for. 

Next Steps

Take some time to recall your journey of faith up to now. Look at your calendar and carve out 30 minutes to an hour in the next week to recall all the major milestones and the ways that Jesus has been faithful to you.