This picture was taken at the New York City Marathon. I don’t know when, but it is striking. It speaks of Christ is right there beside you no matter what you are going through, whether it be running in a marathon or going through your worst trial ever. I have experience with this, and what I like about this picture is that it is a physical representation of a truly spiritual aspect. There are a wide variety of verses in the New Testament that share this sentiment such as the prominent one: (click on) Luke 9:23-24 which says:
“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.”
(KJV)
And (click on) 2 Timothy 3:12-17:
“if we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: if we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself. Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenæus and Philetus;”
(KJV)
And we must not forget about (click on) 1 Peter 2:21:
“For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:”
(KJV)
These are just a few verses that say that if you choose this lifestyle (as a Christian), you will be persecuted for sticking up for Christ; look at Acts of the Apostles alone. You will see there that not only was Peter, John, Phillip, and Paul being persecuted but also just regular followers of Christ, like Stephen in Acts 6-7. Or more current, read or listen to “The Insanity Of God” where you will find that followers of Christ are currently being tortured for the name of Jesus Christ.
However, there is a more true, more current story that has yet to be written, completely. I am talking about the true story of myself. I hope to tell you that it hasn’t been easy for me especially since I faced a situation that could have been prevented. However, with the marvelous grace of God, I survived. Plus if you want to take a look at additional true stories on the Christian life equals persecution, just take a look at some of the true stories on (click on) “The Insanity Of God” and (click on) “The Insanity of Obedience”. Maybe you’ll get the hope, and encouragement, and inspiration to (click on) “Go Into All The World” as Jesus calls us (True Life Christians) to do just before He arose to heaven. What I am trying to do is make every person that visits this blog/website a true reason to continue on to set the goal of True Life Believers-that is “Running With Christ…”
Now on to my true story: Early on, back when I was about 11-12 years of age, I decided I wanted to be one of the ones who would be taking it to the limit. In fact, to test my limits I decided to go roller skating.
When I first began, I was a fumbling, falling down mess. But something inside me said you are going to master this as I went to “Spinning Wheels” every Saturday from 9-12 pm in Londonderry, NH. Sometimes, I would spend all-day there. Like every roller skating rink that is around America back in the mid-1980’s, “Spinning Wheels” had an oval polyurethane floor that made it easy to slip on with roller skates.
The first few times I went, it was torture to keep myself upright. Before long, however, I was able to keep myself steady with a pair of boots with death wheels attached to them. Yes, it took months of fumbling around before I became steady on my feet, and it took me a few more months to begin to try and roller skate backwards. Yet, by the time I started roller skating backwards, I had enough experience in skating frontwards that I was willing to give backwards a shot.
Pretty soon, I was doing nothing but backwards. I remember weaving in and out around people at the rink. I even started to lift my leg with the other one just skating along. Those were the days.
Yet, my new attitude only did not affect my roller skating abilities, but it now affected my spiritual life. I knew God wanted it all-to “Take It To The Limit” as it were, not just a half-hearted effort into whatever you are doing. So, I started looking for ways to share the gospel, then it happened, nearly 1-2 years later when I was 13 and 14, respectively. I remember, in a Sunday night service I dedicated my life to God, and a little over a year, He answered by my calling. Searching my memory, I landed on a specific incident that happened that affected my spiritual life.
It was in 9th grade. The clouds were dreary as grey clouds can sometimes be, grey clouds surrounded that September school day. It was right after school where I decided to play hoop with my classmates on the mini-basketball court. After a few b-ball games to 10, the others started leaving me since there rides were here. So I continued to shoot some hoops while I was waiting for my ride, and figuratively, the basketball came down like someone put cement instead of air in the ball. The feeling was ominous.
Trying to decipher what I went through, God knew how to grab my attention, just like He knows how to grab your attention. See, I was praying that God would use me for about a year before the incident at the school happened. During that year prior to the incident at the basketball court, I was an active listener to overseas missionaries, inner-city youth pastors and leaders, etc. So, I decided the youth was where God was going to send me especially after reading the book (click on) “The Cross and The Switchblade” by David Wilkerson.
For the Bible says this in (click on) Proverbs 20:24:
“Man’s goings are of the LORD; How can a man then understand his own way?”
(KJV)
And God played along with that until shortly after my high school graduation and eighteenth birthday. During those playing along years that God allowed me to go through, I achieved multiple recognitions and awards for preaching 5-minute sermonettes that were directed at the youth. God was preparing me for what I had to face — a long hard physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual battle that I am still facing to this very day. I knew that I was going to a Christian college to become a youth pastor from the age of 14, but during my first year, I changed my major from a pastoral track to a major in which God wanted me — a psychology major. It was God who had different plans for my life.
Well, I was about to find out in a big way what the Lord Almighty had in store for me. Twenty-five days after my high school graduation and eighteen days after my eighteenth birthday (when you become an adult in the USA), I fell asleep at the wheel just working the night-shift as an unarmed security guard. I should have been dead but wasn’t. No! No! No! The Lord had different plans for me. But had I known beforehand, I would have changed my actions before June 28, 1989.
See, that morning I was overtired and driving home from work on the highway (not something I encourage anyone to do). I was surrounded by absolutely beautiful granite ledges that New Hampshire Department of Transportation tore through in order to make the highway. My worst dream came true as I crashed into one of the granite ledges that surrounded the highway and instantly put me into a coma for one month with my whole right side paralyzed. That left me with a traumatic brain injury (TBI). I didn’t break a bone except for my right index finger and the frontal left-hand portion of my skull. Even though I broke minimal bones, the bones that I did break were traumatic as it must have been a horrible seen.
Immediately, I was sent right into a comas that had lasted a month. After getting released from the hospital, God made sure there was an opening at Northeast Rehabilitation Hospital; for, after getting there, it took me about four to five days to realize that I was in a rehab hospital. I remember that, at first, I was not able to handle any sort of therapy, but once I was able to handle a full eight hours of intensive therapy (in which I had to relearn everything —physically, emotionally, mentally, socially), I was exhausted.
The chief psychiatrist of the rehabilitation hospital casted doubt on God and said that rarely does anyone see a complete recovery from this type of injury. He said that I would be “lucky” if I progressed any further. However, through prayers to Almighty God (which there were many) I began to recover at an alarming rate, and I walked out of the hospital with a limp nearly two and a half months later.
During my first three weeks at NRH, I said a prayer to my Heavenly Father that proved to be the difference; a prayer of rededication in which I did not know how I was going to accomplish His calling on my life. For three weeks I was in a dream-state (so I thought), just longing to resume my calling of being a youth pastor. However, I would realize with time that God had different plans for my life which I ultimately accepted. The prayer that said I would do anything to proclaim His Word back when I was just 13 years of age. I almost protested to God, but thanks to the Holy Spirit, He reminded me that I was in this situation because of my own doing. Further, I can really identify with the first two chapters of Job and the circumstances that surrounded his life. However, I eventually accepted my new life while longing after my old, which I’m sure Job had longings of his old life.
When I originally started this site back in 2017, I searched the Scriptures to find if Christ had provided for Christians everywhere a single verse to sum up what the Christian life is like. I found this one particular verse among many — (click on) 1 Peter 2:21:
“For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:”
(KJV)
So, if you are a True Life Christian, you will identify with me in being frustrated at there are so few websites that tell the truth about serving God. It is a farce that God wants you to be healthy, wealthy, and wise here on this earth. For only God contains true wisdom (1 Corinthians 3:19). Rather, be like the ones in Acts that said the continuous prayer to be bold in the face of opposition (Acts 9:27) and continue “Running With Christ…”
It has been a long time coming in my eyes forGod to fulfill His promise to me. I am reminded just how long Abraham had to wait, 25 years, for the promise child of Isaac would be fulfilled. Not only do I serve Jesus Christ through this website, but He has chosen me to fill in for pastor when he isn’t there, and to fill an hour of adult Sunday School coming up in a couple of months. This I’m writing to you at the middle of October 2022. That’s 33 years. God’s not slack in keeping His promises. 😇
~ Darren L. Beattie, The Soul Blogger of TrueLifeChristianity.com ~
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