I really like food. There is just something so satisfying about eating, the taste, the texture, even the social aspect all attracts me. Now as a single woman not living with my parents the temptation can be strong to buy into the fast food world. It would be so easy for me to stop at McDonalds or Wendy’s or KFC, and satisfy my hunger with some greasy tasty goodness. And it would work, I mean I’d be full, and I’d have energy to get me through the day. However in the long run it would have devastating effects on my health and quality of life. The fast food world is a quick fix, it’s a do what’s easy now and worry about the consequences later solution to the immediate demand of my body for food. If I want to live a higher quality of life in the future as a healthy person it means that I have to do the work now. I have to go to the grocery store, buy a balances choice in foods, and I have to be dedicated to actually taking the time to cook; which believe me can be quite the challenge. But I choose to do these things because I know the reward will be great later on in life. A similar thing can be said about our spiritual lives.

I grew up Catholic and never really strayed far from the teachings of the Church, my faith was functional but it wasn’t really purposeful. I believed in God, I knew he loved me and that his love was personal but I had never really made a concrete choice to follow him 100%. In many ways I had bought into the fast food mentality of life. I just wanted to coast; I wanted a safe career that would make me enough to not have to worry for anything. This attitude carried over into my faith life, I wanted the benefits of God’s love, and I wanted to go to heaven, but I wanted it at little cost and effort to me. I was fine with church on Sunday and prayers before a meal, even reading the bible here and there, but I didn’t want to be a freak, I didn’t want to suffer, I didn’t want to have to walk a hard road. I wanted to live in a fast food world, immediate results with no work. Thankfully, God called me to something greater.

Something significant happened during my prayer when I was nineteen that changed my life forever. While I was praying I saw an image of Jesus on the cross, he was transparent and I saw myself inside Christ hanging on the cross with Him. Then I heard Christ say in my heart, “Melissa, will you die for me”. I knew in that moment that Christ was asking me to hand my life completely over to Him, to hold nothing back, to live the gospel in a radical way, to die to myself and pick up the cross and follow him, to empty myself of myself and be totally filled and led by Christ in all things. I hesitated to answer because I knew God would hold me to my answer. I’d read about the lives of the saints and was afraid of what my life would be if I said yes. I could give part of myself sure, the part that was easy to give, but everything??? Then I thought what if I said no, what would there be to live for, how empty would my life be without Christ? I thought how totally unfulfilling it would be to live solely for myself, my life would have no purpose, and I would have spent my life building into treasures that would perish so quickly rather than in building treasure in Heaven that would last forever. It was in that moment that I truly Chose Christ and His will above mine, no matter how hard it may be. And I haven’t looked back, I’ve continued to strive to live my life for God, in accordance to his will and call, and that has lead me here, to SFU to be a missionary among many living in the fast food world. And I am so glad for this call because nothing brings me greater joy. It is not without its hardships, but the reward is so great. To see even one person encounter God’s love makes it all worth it. Not only that but by giving my life in this way, I grow closer to God and am able to experience a real and living relationship with Him that is like a river of hope and love bringing life to every part of me. So I challenge you, if you’re afraid to let go of what’s comfortable, of your own plans for happiness to consider what might be missing out on, because I know from experience that God’s plan is always better. Even though it might be hard now, in the long run, it will always be worth it.

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