As the passionate story poured from the man's heart, I marveled at the narrative of God's grace and saving power. He had lived a life soaked in the darkest parts of a city's underbelly. Now he was sharing how God had changed his life, home and family. It was (and is) the same saving grace and power demonstrated in my own conversion story. But somehow this man's story, which was more dramatic and demonstrative, seemed more attractive. I was never a gun-carrying, drug-selling criminal.

Please don't mistake my thought here. The man's story is amazing. His conversion is real and listening to his testimony is emotionally moving. I am not suggesting that God hasn't worked in his life or that he shouldn't tell his story.

But as I left the gathering and considered his dynamic story, I reflected on the whole experience. What defines us? Is it the moving story of our past, or is it our future? I confess that I worried a bit about this man. I worried that the re-telling of his story might confine him to always being known by what he had been. I worried that a new story, a more present story, might not be told.

Paul's conviction, told to the church in Corinth, stated that in Christ we are a new creation (see 2 Corinthians 5:17). Let me rephrase that: We are not what we once were, we are now cut from a new cloth! The old story is gone; a new story is to be told! In fact, Paul is actually reluctant to point to his past as a “Pharisee of the Pharisees,” opting instead to point to Christ and his amazing grace.

As I consider my own story, and that of God's grace, there is a point in time where I can vividly recall that Jesus changed me. However, my story is rooted in what God continues to do in my life and the hope I have in Christ!

Major Fred Waters is an Area Commander in the Prairie & Northern Territories Division. Edmonton and the north is his perspective presently on family, friends and ministry. Fred enjoys outdoor activities such as camping, hiking and gardening. Together with his wife, Wendy, he has shared in the experiences of youth ministry, corps officership and administration.