Have you heard the story of the stranded starfish?

Yesterday I met a woman who has served God all her life. It’s her vocation. Her livelihood working for the church. But as we talked, I realized something awful. She didn’t know Jesus. Didn’t love the LORD her God. She was stranded in her religion. And for forty years she has taught children in a number of prominent church schools across the nation.

All I could think was, no wonder today’s generation rejects the church. Presented with this kind of dying religion, I’d reject the church, too.

So I told her my story. How one night I saw the Light. Literally. I’d been seeking God with all my heart, and I found Him. More likely, He found me for the Bible says, “You did not choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name” John 15:16.”

It was December 20th 2000. A cold, clear, winter night. Two weeks earlier, I’d celebrated my 33rd birthday. I woke in the darkness smelling incense. A sweet, holy smell. Our bedroom crackled with some kind of energy I couldn’t see. The week prior, a Passionist priest, Father Cedric Pisegna, had presented a retreat on the Holy Spirit at the Catholic church I then attended. Father Cedric said, “We must ask God for His Holy Spirit when we sense His presence.”

I knew that night in my bedroom, God’s presence was there. “Please grant me your Holy Spirit,” I whispered into the darkness. “I want to know You, Jesus.”

A light appeared near the bedroom door. I didn’t see Jesus, but the light came closer, filling the room with HIM. It was a white, swirling light full of love and warmth. How I wanted to enter that heavenly light but knew I wasn’t worthy. I began to weep. At that moment my whole life flashed before me. The good, the bad, and the ugly. To the bone, I knew I was a sinner. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered to God. “Please forgive me.”

The light intensified in our bedroom. God forgave me and filled me with His Spirit that night. Love like I’d never known overwhelmed me. That experience is still, for the most part, unexplainable. Unbelievable for many. And I rarely share it these days. But that night my life changed in the most amazing way.

I tried to tell this yesterday to that church lady who served God but didn’t know Him. I told her about the light that came to my bedroom. I told her about Jesus’ love. “The Bible says to really know the LORD, you must be born again and filled with His Holy Spirit.”

“You’re taking this too far,” she replied. “The Bible isn’t to be taken literally. It’s a book written by men.”

My heart ached for her. “No, it’s all true. The Bible was written by men filled with God’s Holy Spirit. It’s not just a book of God’s laws and rules. It’s the story about God’s love for us.”

She began to talk about her religion. I knew that religion. Didn’t want any part of it. I’d been religious before I saw the Light ~ “May I pray with you?” I asked her when she paused for a breath.

She quieted. Hesitated. Then reached out both hands. “Yes. Pray for me.”

So I prayed she’d know the true love of her Savior Jesus. That beyond religion, she’d find HIM.  

“Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength,” Deuteronomy 6:5.

How can today’s generation love God if they don’t know Him? 

So here is the story of the stranded starfish… A woman came to a beach filled with dying starfish. She couldn’t save them all, but she picked up one and threw it back into the sea. Then she picked up another and threw it back into the sea…

I don’t expect to fix today’s dying church. Unfortunately, today’s church is filled with folks who think they serve God, but all they’re serving is a dying religion. I’m glad today’s generation has rejected a dying religion. My hope is they will not reject their dying Savior.