I received a message via Facebook yesterday from I woman who does CrossFit with me.  We don't really know each other that well.  We don't hang out together outside of the gym.  I have no idea where she lives.  She doesn't reply often to my status updates and I rarely see updates from her so we haven't formed a social-networking relationship. 

Pretty much, we just work out together.

So I was a little surprised when I received a message from her and I was even more surprised when I read the message. 

She asked me to pray.  She found out over the weekend that her daughter (who I believe may be 17 or 18 years old) is pregnant and considering abortion.  She told me that she could tell that I was a Christian and that she needed all of her Christian friends to rally around her daughter and pray that she makes the right decision regarding the baby. 

I replied that I would pray and that I would share this prayer request with all my Christian friends (YOU!!!).  Will you please join me in praying for my friend's daughter.  I don't know her name and even if I did, I probably wouldn't use it.  God knows her, though.  Pray also that God would give my friend the words to say to her daughter; that He would guide their conversations and allow His grace and mercy to wrap around them both. 

So that's the not so cool thing.  You wanna know what the cool thing is?

She could tell that I was a Christian.

Me.

There are two reasons why this a pretty big deal.

First of all...have you ever heard of CrossFit?  It is pretty much the devil.  It's wild.  It's loud.  It's outta control.  It's one of the ways they train UFC fighters, I hear.  So when I am at CrossFit in between my deadlifts, pull ups, tire jumps and 400 meter sprints, I often say bad words.  I can't help it.  It just comes out.  It's not very Christian of me...I know.  (And I am working on that.)  So I run and sweat and lift and curse.  This is how my friend has come to know me.

Second, this might be the first time that someone from the real-world sensed that I was a Christian.  I didn't have to tell her.  She doesn't know me well-enough to know that I am active in church or that I have a serious passion for all-things-God.  She could just tell. 

That might not be a big deal to some of you suma cum-laude Christians.  (Yes, you know who you are.)  But in case you are wondering...suma cum-laude Christians are the ones who never "stole a pig" or had to "come to the end of himself."  I am envious of people who "got God" at a young age and didn't have to learn the hard way.  That is so admirable.  I flunked out of this Christianity thing a time or two and I am still not even close to graduation.

I used to be the girl you could count on to go to the bar and get hammered when you found out your boyfriend cheated on you.  I used to be the one who gave private lessons on the art of rolling the pefect joint.  I used to be angry all the time.  I used to hate police officers and preachers. 

I used to be a lot of things that I am not anymore.

And I am not saying this to glorify "self."  I am saying this for the glory of my God who loved me enough to pursue me despite all the things I used to be.  I am saying this to encourage those of you are in the throws of rebellion (or have kids who are).  I am saying this because God is the great redeemer and He can fix anything that is broken.

Phillipians 1:6 says that "he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." 

She saw Christ in me. 

She saw Christ in me.

That is so amazing to me...based on where I have been in the past.  It's almost unbelievable.  And if I didn't know that the author of this story happened to be the only uncreated one, I wouldn't believe it.

But it's all because of Him.

Will you please remember to pray for my friend and her daughter?