It was a cold and dreary Sunday morning when Sarah woke up feeling lost and alone. She had been struggling with depression for months and felt like there was no hope left in the world. She dragged herself out of bed and went to church out of habit, not expecting anything to change.
As she sat in the pew, listening to the sermon, she felt a strange sensation wash over her. Suddenly, she felt a glimmer of hope in her heart, something she hadn’t felt in a long time. She couldn’t explain it, but it was as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
After the service, Sarah decided to take a walk through the park. As she strolled along, she noticed a stranger sitting on a bench, staring at the lake. He looked up and smiled at her as she passed by, and then turned back to the water.
Something about him seemed familiar, so Sarah turned around and walked back to the bench. "Do I know you?" she asked tentatively.
The stranger turned to her again and said, "No, but I know you. You’re Sarah, and you’ve been struggling with depression for a long time. But I’m here to tell you that there is hope, and that hope is in Jesus."
Sarah was stunned. How did this stranger know her name and her struggles? She asked him who he was, and he simply replied, "I am the resurrection and the life."
Suddenly, Sarah realized that this stranger was no ordinary person. He was Jesus, risen from the dead just as he had been in the story of John 20. "I believe," she whispered, tears streaming down her face.
As Jesus disappeared from sight, Sarah felt an overwhelming sense of peace and hope. She knew that her struggles weren’t over, but she had a new strength to face them with. She walked back to her home, feeling lighter than she had in months.
The next day, Sarah woke up feeling different. She felt like she could face the day ahead of her, and she even managed to do some things that she had been putting off for weeks. As she went through her day, she realized that the hope she had found was not just a temporary feeling, but a lasting change in her heart.
Sarah knew that life wouldn’t be easy, but she felt a new sense of purpose and resilience. She knew that Jesus had brought her back to life, just as he had done for his disciples in John 20.
As she reflected on her experience, Sarah remembered the words of Jesus in John 20:29: "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." She knew that her faith in Jesus had brought her hope, and that hope would continue to sustain her through whatever challenges lay ahead.