CCEF Conference Testimony~ Ashli Kottwitz

“Not Alone” was the theme of the CCEF Conference in Frisco this year.  I was awestruck by the simplicity and yet extreme depth of this statement in relationship to us as that we are never alone as Christians.  When I felt most alone in my life: when I signed the papers for my husband to be taken off life-support or when I left my suffering husband at one hospital to pick up my sick daughter and take her to another hospital for admission for dehydration.  But I was never really alone.  Both instances, I cried out to the Lord and wondered why I was alone and if had he forsaken me.  However, as I look back, God sent another friend to be with my husband, and my father-in-law showed up at the hospital to check on Lana and me.  That was Him being there; I am never truly alone.  I need only to take a deep breath, remember and feel that He is with me.  This is the true definition of faith, is it not?

It can be easy to believe in the Lord and His strength and power on a good day.  Except, what about the horrible days, the loneliest days, the days when despair peeks around the corner?  Those days test your faith the most; can you remember that the Lord is good and He is always near you even on those days?

One of the speakers at the conference spoke about the fact that Christ is always with us.  And He knows what it is like to be truly alone.  He lay on the Cross feeling more alone than we could ever be.  At that point when He became sin for us, he knew true loneliness.  If we believe this fundamental of Christianity, then the speaker went on to say that we always have HOPE as our defense in these tough days.  As the speaker went on he said, we forget about the Lord on the great days when all is going our way.  Then we humans tend to bring Him out of our pocket when the bad times hit.  The speaker then said that Christ never forgets about us, but we forget about Him.  We are always on His mind.

Finally, there is no pain that we have felt that Christ, when he took on human form, has not felt before.  He is not a God sitting in the Heavens apart from us; He has been where we have been.  He is feeling your pain; He is true compassion.  Also, the speaker pointed out that true compassion is where someone takes on a bit of your pain.  They carry it with them.  Christ can take our pain; He brings true empathy.  He is there with you in every moment of your life.  You are never alone. 

What a comfort this speaker brought to me! - Ashli Kottwitz

Matthew 11:28-30
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, 
and I will give you rest. 
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, 
for I am gentle and humble in heart, 
and you will find rest for your souls. 
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”