Our value to God is unfathomable. Through His amazing love, He has given each of us unique gifts and purpose to share with the world. As Christians, we are often reminded of this beautiful truth in church and occasionally through friends and family, but let’s be honest, it can be hard to believe sometimes.
Today, the world is hungrier than ever before to not only hear of their value, but to see it through the actions of people… and God wants to use you and I to do that.
I oversee a boy’s discipleship program in Guatemala called New Horizons. We constantly preach to our students the love and value God gives to their lives and help them pursue their dreams.
In 2015, I had the privilege of meeting a young man by the name of Juan Jose. He was 14 years old and he had just moved to the city to live with his father. Juan Jose had lived a pretty difficult life… his parents were divorced, his mother was involved with drugs and to top it off, his father was blind which resulted in Juan Jose being the primary caretaker for him.
Needless to say, the expectations surrounding Juan Jose weren’t very high. The terrible circumstances that this young man was dealt made him belittle his own value and doubt that things could ever be different. Later, Juan Jose’s self-value would plunge even more when he learned that he didn’t pass the 6thgrade.
I’ll never forget that day. I found him crying in his classroom and I felt the Lord tell me to mentor and pour into him… and that’s what I did! I started by putting him in some of our extra studies each month and then began meeting with him on a daily basis. I not only helped him with school, but I spoke love and encouragement over him daily! My goal was to not just tell him how God values him, but to do my best to show him daily!
I became like a second father to him. I helped him with school, helped take care of him and even held him accountable in his personal life.
I can even recall a monumental moment in his life when I found out that he had a fascination with satanic artwork. In love, I shared with him that he was going down a road that would eventually lead to destruction. Through God’s grace, Juan Jose received this life correction and made the choice to reestablish his relationship with the Lord!
Overtime, I was amazed to see how Juan Jose’s view of not only himself, but of others changed. He developed an amazing servants’ heart in that he truly saw people the way God does. Juan Jose was always looking to give to beggars on the street corners and he even went out of his way to befriend a boy from church with special needs. It was truly amazing! And to top it off, he would even read the Bible to his father.
Today, Juan Jose is 18 years old and is studying to be an airplane mechanic! He is constantly growing in stature and relationship with God as well as with the people in his life.
The road has not been easy, but I have found so much joy in helping Juan Jose find his VALUE and purpose in Christ! I share this story with you, because there are a lot of Juan Jose’s in this world that need us to not only speak their value, but show them by investing our time and love into them.
As Christians, God not only wants to speak through us, but He also wants to use us as His hands and feet. We are His instruments to love and care for a hurting world.
Who are you sharing the love of Christ with today?
By: Hank Miller
For more information about Hank and his ministry, click here.
