I was reading a devotional the other day when a line struck me straight to the heart. The devotional was on Hudson Taylor, a missionary born in 1832. The line was “At the age of seventeen, he was dramatically converted through the prayers of his mother.”

A couple of things that stuck out. First, he was “dramatically” converted. Secondly, it mentions that this happened through prayers of his mother. I think the main reason these things struck me the way they did, is I happen to understand what it’s like to be in the middle of mess. (A big, messy, I literally have no clue what to do mess).  There is a lost child, one I know well, with a lot of baggage. He doesn’t see the big picture of what is going on his life and what he does see, he doesn’t care about. There is nothing in this world I want more than to see this child come know Christ. I’m hurting for him, for us, for the people he has hurt. When I read that line, something inside me wants to scream “YES!” I want to be the momma who prays so desperately that God dramatically converts this child.

The problem is we are (or were) one of those lost children. The brokenness of this child seems to be more dramatic because he was exposed to some things when he was little that most of us were not. He was neglected in ways I can only imagine. But when God looks at this child does he see more sin than when he looked at me? What does scripture say? It says we ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:22-23: ²² This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

I have heard more than one story where it’s said, “because my mom prayed”. I cannot fix what has been broken. I can seek wisdom, treatment, etc. and I will pray. There are consequences for our sin, but God is just to forgive if only we seek him. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Since this lost child cannot/will not seek him on his own, yet. I will seek for him. I will pray.

As I pray, I hope his story changes and someone is able to write, “he was dramatically converted”.