I know this is going to sound crazy for me to say but it wasn't until after a brain injury that I finally started understanding the gospel and the power it brought to your life. My heart, and my life, were transformed by what I'd been missing.
Prior to this grand realization, I was my own top priority. I would be willing to help others, but only if it didn't cost me that much. And typically when I offered my assistance, I was looking forward to what I might get in return.
But the more I learned about the wonderful truths of the full gospel message and the more I grasped the price Jesus had undeservedly paid for me and my sin, the less fixated I became on myself. I realized Jesus did this all for us despite knowing many would still reject Him. It was in the gospel that I discovered contentment in humbly serving a relentlessly loving God and and I found surprising joy in serving others with no expectation of anything in return or because of what I thought they could offer me.
God has given me new strengths and new passions following my brain injury. It has been exciting, and if I am being honest, occasionally very frightening, to discover how God wants to use me as His servant in the midst of all this "newness." But as I am navigating the journey of figuring out the "how," I humbly pray I'll always remember the "why."
I'll remember the God who saved my life and granted me a second chance. I'll remember the God who gave me a new calling. And I'll remember to do everything for His glory and not my own.
