Not too long ago I re-read a story about a very successful business executive.  The man had everything he had ever dreamed of – a wonderful wife, two beautiful children, a fabulous home, and more money than he had ever hoped for.

Then, one day, something happened that changed his life forever.  While swimming alone in the ocean, he was hit by a huge wave that knocked him unconscious.  Fortunately, a child who had been playing in the sand saw what happened and got his parents to rescue the drowning man.  A lifeguard administered CPR until a rescue team arrived to transport him to a local hospital where he received outstanding care.

After making a full recovery, the man told his family and co-workers that he hoped his life would never be the same again.  I wish that wave had hit me twenty-five years ago, he said.  It helped me to realize that my whole life needed changing.  Today it is my family, my relationship to God, and what I can do for others that counts.

The Gospels are filled with stories like this one about people who have a life-changing encounter with Christ.  There was Zacchaeus who came down from a tree and, for perhaps the first time in his life, discovered the joy of reaching out to those around him.  Then there was Saul who, after being struck blind on the Damascus Road, learned to live such a dramatically different life that even his name was changed to Paul.  In that one encounter with Christ, he went from persecuting the Christians to being a Christian.  And who could forget the Crippled Woman (Luke 13:10-17), Gerasene demoniac (Mark 5:1-15), or  The Woman at the Well (John 4:4-42)?  The list could go on and on.  It could also include you! 

If you are living in such a way that you are sometimes ashamed of your thoughts or actions; if you have gotten away from God and the church; or if your life seems meaningless and empty, then stop for a moment and remember God’s promises.  Through the gift of grace, you can begin again!  Your new life is just a prayer away!