Roughly a year ago, I was handed two separate cards with birthdays similar to mine and a box checked under the “Interested In” section…
“Putting my faith in Christ.”
I called both numbers, put names to faces on a Sunday morning, and the next thing I knew I was driving to a Starbucks where we sat for three hours talking about what we had been through, what we were struggling with, and the thought of Jesus being a saving grace.
On my drive back to work I kept thinking. I kept mulling over the reality that these two girls had experienced so much more in twenty years of life than most ever experience…and it wasn’t positive. It had broken them in places they didn’t know they could be broken. It had made them question their worth.
It made them question their life.
After that first interaction, God kept showing up.
We prayed when it was uncomfortable.
We read about things that had hard words we had to look up the definitions for.
We talked about lost loved ones and how impossible it seems that there is a loving God when lives are taken too soon.
We talked about heaven and what Jesus intended for us when He came, brutally suffered and died, and rose again.
Undeniable assurance, grace, and love came sweeping in to every single one of those moments. And we all sat and whispered out loud and to ourselves, in some form of these words,
“Jesus is greater…”.
And then today. Today, was one of the most joyous and heavenly moments I have ever experienced. It’s been at the top of my throat every since the date went on the calendar. Not because it changes anything, not because it solves all the problems, not because anybody has arrived…but because Jesus is greater.
He is greater than the bullying.
He is greater than the depression.
He is greater than the drugs or the alcohol.
He is greater than the abuse.
He is greater than the thoughts and the lies that we aren’t good enough to be here.
He is over it ALL.
He is Christ alone.
He weaved Himself in to the shattered places, the lowly and feeble ones, to bring His daughters back to Himself. Today, we revisited pain but celebrated grace and redemption and mercy that is sometimes too overwhelming to comprehend. Today, the moment of baptism resembled so much work Jesus has done and a faithful commitment to walking with Him in all that He will do.
Even when we don’t have it all together. Even when we won’t have it all figured out.
So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
Galatians 3:26-27
The Celeste Elizabeth 
I love you sweet, Celeste. Thank you for investing in these young women’s lives. You have made a difference and they will be forever changed as a result of your obedience to God and his Kingdom.