It’s Only One Life

How much difference can you make by impacting a single life?

If you or I encountered Amber in August 2013, perhaps we would have turned away.

At that point she felt completely trapped in addiction and saw no way forward. She couldn’t care for her son and had no idea how she’d deal with her current pregnancy. She was lost in a downward spiral of darkness, fear, and hopelessness. I’m pretty sure “dream” wasn’t part of her thought process.

It would have been easy to dismiss her as one more young person who made bad choices, failed to accept responsibility, and simply didn’t have the willpower to overcome her self-imposed obstacles. We do that with a lot of people like Amber.

We do it because it’s comfortable, because it reinforces our preconceptions and prejudices, because it lets us off the hooks and relieves our feeling of guilt. She chose to waste her life; it’s not our responsibility–right?

Jesus saw Amber differently. He saw her, as He sees each of us, in terms of potential rather than past. His challenge to you and me is to do the same, to look past the surface and see what He sees.

This is Amber today.

It’s probably no surprise that this incredible transformation occurred in a community, in this case the loving, supportive community at the Teen Challenge HOME OF HOPE in Casa Grande, Az. The folks at this amazing place surrounded her with grace, forgiveness, and love. They helped her discover hope in the midst of hopelessness.

They were Jesus in blue jeans.

Amber’s marriage is restored. She has two beautiful children. She works as a nurse.

None of this happened by accident. It happened because a handful of people followed Jesus’ example and didn’t turn away.

How much effort and time is it worth to salvage one person from hopelessness? What’s the value of a single life?

Hope. Changes. What’s. Possible.

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