GAINING ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE

Mardi Ford ().

God often uses people and experiences to teach us more about Him.

At last Saturday night's concert in McKenzie Theatre, Christian rocker Jeremy Camp showed me another little piece of the mystery.

The whole evening was so awesome — but you really had to be there to appreciate it.

The music, the fellowship, the excitement of 400 men, women, teens and children; all of this would have been more than enough Saturday night.

The most exciting moment, however, came when we went backstage during the sound check to meet 26-year-old Jeremy Camp, the 2004 Gospel Music Award dual winner — Best New Artist and Best Male Vocalist — and I introduced him to my very excited 16-year-old daughter.

"You are officially the coolest mom," Mollie raved afterwards. That electric smile of hers never left her face for the rest of the night.

In talking with Jeremy Camp I found him to be the real deal —a humble, young man on fire for Jesus. His music is his ministry.

Someday, he told me, he hopes to go back to his first choice of a career path and head into youth ministry or pastor a church like his dad.

He would give up the fame, the fortune, the rock star gig?

"Oh, yeah. I don't want to do this forever," he told me, "only as long as God wants to use me this way."

Saturday night, I stood in front of Jeremy Camp and listened to him tell of the death of his young wife to cancer. My reactions to his story revealed a new perspective I didn't fully realize I had gained. He showed me that I have replaced another piece of my flesh with faith.

Although I was moved at the tale of Melissa Camp's faith in the face of death, the most powerful testimony was what happened after his wife took her last breath.

"As I sat with my head in my hands," Camp recalled, "God said to me, ‘I want you to stand up and worship me now.' I didn't want to," he admitted.

But understanding God was testing his obedience, "I stood and raised my hands — my father had to hold me up," Camp said, but he began to sing and their families joined him in a fitting tribute to the end of Melissa's life on earth.

Camp said more of God's love, mercy and power was released in his life through his simple act of obedience.

"It was the most powerful moment of my life," he says simply. "Everything changed from then on."

Now, the old Mardi would have been confused, wondering how a merciful, loving God could ask so much from such a wounded heart, but Saturday night I understood.

Just as it is harder to love those who hate you than those who love you, the true test of a Christian's faith comes in worshipping God when we don't want to — when we don't understand, when we feel the most alone, let down and abandoned.

God is faithful and He rewards faithfulness in us when we persevere through the tragedy — like the death of a child, a spouse or even a marriage.

God's perspective on earthly trials is eternal — a concept difficult to grasp for those of us still in the flesh.

But He knows what is in store for those who place their lives in His hands and, for them, death is only the beginning and earthly trials are fleeting. He wants us to trust Him, have faith in Him, and thank Him for it all.

Finally, as I drove home that night, turning the events and feelings over in my mind and my heart, I understood the best thing of all.

You see, God began renovating my heart the day he moved in. He could never have lived in here the way it was.

And during this process, somewhere along the way, God has changed my heart from wanting to live forever to wanting to live for Him.

Because of this, I am gaining an eternal perspective on my life.

And it's a whole different look from here.