Today I want to share with you a profound encounter I had was Christ. It was a few years ago, and I was on the mission field. I was having a particularly rough time. We were backpacking through the jungles of a Southeast Asia country. I had tweaked my back and I was feeling it. As we hike from Village to Village, we are often offered gracious accommodations to sleep on a concrete floor or a dirt porch or perhaps, even in an animal stall that is covered and out of the weather a bit. That evening was a true blessing to be able to sleep inside of a building with windows and doors that closed and a roof that didn’t leak. Many times sleep is evasive in the places we find ourselves.

As nice as the accommodations were, I did not sleep well that night. I woke up feeling miserable and honestly in a bit of a funk. In my mind, I was questioning why I was there. Was I doing anyone any good? I could hear the roosters crowing and knew that daybreak had come as I saw the light beginning to stream through the cracks in the door and windows. Within a few minutes, one of our brothers had opened the door and come in to bring us each a fresh cup of chai. As I set up in my sleeping bag to take the cup from this brother, still in my head, and in my funk, a ray of light shone through and lit up the tip of my finger as I  grasped the tiny metal cup. It was as if time stood still in that moment. Every ridge of my fingerprint was highlighted by the beam of light streaming in. The Lord spoke to my heart in that instant. He said to me,” do you see this? Do you see the uniqueness of my creation? I created you on purpose and for purpose. You are exactly where you are meant to be. I have sent you here to share my love with these people.” I was wrecked! I began weeping. In that moment, I once again felt that indescribable peace and satisfaction in God, my creator and Savior. It was a humbling experience that I will never forget.

My encouragement to you today is that no matter what life throws at you, whatever place you find yourself in or even the Funk of your mental attitude, you can find satisfaction in Jesus. He willingly gave his life to cover our sins and have a relationship with us. We can have complete confidence and satisfaction in the knowledge that Christ died for us, has a plan and a purpose for us and that we have an eternal destiny in heaven because of Christ’s sacrifice for every individual who would call upon his name and believe in him.

Father, thank you for the sacrifice of your son that gives us complete confidence and satisfaction, knowing that our relationship with Christ secures our eternity in heaven worshiping you for all of eternity.