by Britney Hamm

In Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians, he writes,

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,  may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Shortly before Christmas break, we saw a student grasp how wide and long and high and deep the love of Christ is for the first time.

Jessica has been heavily involved with our ministry for the past two years since her first semester as a freshman at UMKC.  Prior to December, she would have described herself as a Christian and intellectually affirmed the truth of Jesus’s work on the cross.

One Sunday in December as she and I baked a cake, she asked me a question about a fear of dying. As I probed and talked with her, we unearthed that she feared the unknown of life after death, and she didn’t believe she would spend eternity with the Father.

Her simple question was the Spirit’s gateway to reveal that she actually wasn’t saved. She may have known the truth of Jesus but didn’t personally put her trust in Him to save her. She was still shackled by the shame of past sins and trying to be good enough on her own. We talked about what it truly means to put your trust in Jesus and have a personal relationship with Him. I shared with her the freedom and grace found at the foot of the cross – truths that she has heard before but now struck her in a new way.

She left that day pondering all we had talked about. Travis and I prayed like crazy for her that week. The following Sunday we met again. She described that the light bulb had come on – truths she had heard before now made sense in a real, personal way. That week she put her trust in Jesus. I could visibly see a difference in her, a freedom and joy she didn’t previously possess. How wonderful is the abundant love of Jesus that sets us free from shame and guilt!

Travis and I both have had further conversations with her since then. She celebrates that she has become a Christian and is excited to begin this journey with Him. We can already see new life in her. Here are her own words to describe this experience:

Hi, my name is Jessica. I am currently a student at UMKC. If you had asked me a couple months ago, “Jess, do you believe you are forgiven? Do you think you would go to heaven?”, my answer would have been “No.” Because of things I had done in my past, I just didn’t believe that I was forgivable. No matter what I did, I could never undo my mistake with God. I was carrying a burden that I didn’t need to carry. Up until recently, I hadn’t realized that God wanted me to let go of that burden I was carrying and to give it to Him. I hadn’t realized that I was already forgiven. I just needed to accept and trust that God still loves me and wants me to really lean on Him. Ever since I’ve started actually believing that truth, I’ve found a freedom like no other. I’ve been more aware of God’s overwhelming forgiveness and love for me.

The Bible repeatedly makes it clear that the Spirit must open the heart to understand truth, and that an intellectual affirmation of biblical truths is not the same as a personal acceptance of His sufficient work on the cross. Jessica’s story is a beautiful reminder that the Spirit DOES open hearts, and often when we least expect it. It is also an encouraging reminder that evangelism and discipleship can happen doing something as simple as baking a cake!

We are ever so thankful to get to play a part in Jessica’s journey to Jesus. We look forward to continuing to watch her grow in Him and experience the freedom and joy of the gospel.

Pray for Jessica as she walks in newness of life, and pray that more students come to a saving knowledge of who He is and what He has done!