Next Stop, Kenya

My Inspiration:

One of the greatest aspects of traveling, other than the food, is being able to stand in awe of the vast and immense creation that surrounds us. From the enormous Canadian Rockies to rolling English pastures, from lush Italian vineyards to the desolate Egyptian desert, and from pounding Bolivian waterfalls to tropical Hawaiian beaches, each setting never fails to take my breath away. There is so much evidence around us that points towards the existence of a creator, THE creator, and every time I look outside, the desire I have to know the creator grows stronger inside me.

A few months ago (before coming to England) I got pulled over for speeding while driving through Saskatoon. I was rushing to get to school on time and got caught going 30 over the speed limit. Imagine if I had tried to get out of the speeding ticket by telling the cop each of the laws that I hadn't broken. Obviously, that would have been ridiculous, and the cop would have thought I was an idiot. We can't use laws that we have KEPT to balance out laws that we have BROKEN. It's the same with each of our lives, good works cannot cover up our imperfection.

The amazing thing is, there is something that actually CAN cover up our imperfections. Imagine that one day you are in court, being charged for a horrible crime that you know you ARE guilty of committing. All of the evidence proves it, and there is simply no way that the judge could think otherwise. The judge looks at you and has NO other choice than to sentence you to being hung by the neck, because it is his duty to bring justice. Now, imagine that after declaring this sentence, the judge stands up, takes off his robe and comes over to you. As he embraces you, he says "as your judge I had to sentence you to death, as your friend I am going to go to the gallows for you. Your sentence is now pardoned through me." This is exactly what Jesus has done for each of us! Romans 5:8 says that "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Jesus Christ died for us." Jesus is the Son of God, and He died in order that our sins may be forgiven. 

But it didn't stop there: Jesus came back to life again and is alive today, ready and waiting to have a relationship with us. In the Bible, it says that "As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name"(John 1:12). The suffering, death, and new life that Jesus went through was a beautiful gift, and it is meant specifically for YOU. If we choose to recognize and see our imperfection and the fact that we need saving, and if we choose to believe in him, we are promised a new life with Jesus, and the incredible bonus of spending eternity in heaven.

I am excited and proud to be a follower of Jesus. I have realized that I desperately need saving, and I have found this saving in the one true place it is available: through Jesus' gift of forgiveness and new life. He has given me purpose and has become my inspiration and backbone. He literally gave his life for us, and many of you may have heard and responded to this great news already. If you have not heard this before, I hope that this inspires you to search for and respond to the TRUTH and the saving grace that is found only in Jesus.