On a junior high canoe trip, I met a church youth leader whose heart overflowed for Christ. Whether driving the van or enlisting us at the soup kitchen, he found things to celebrate. He sang anthem rock at the top of his lungs, quoted scripture like favorite song lyrics, and made every kid laugh. When he prayed, you could feel his love for God.

When he led some of the group in cliff-jumping into those Boundary Waters lakes, he said, “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage!” He had something I wanted, and that summer after 8th grade, I decided my life could have no greater adventure or purpose than following Jesus.

Since then I have met others who radiated this faith, and they’ve come in many types: contemplative monks, justice-seeking nuns, teenagers in Kenya, and grandmothers in nursing homes.

Where have you met such a person? Be around them. Ask them what they know of God.

By Cari Pattison from D365