So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich. (Luke 18:22-23)

The story of the rich, young ruler illustrates an obvious point: many of us are not willing to exchange that which has great temporary value to us for that which God says has extraordinary eternal value.

The rich, young ruler went away sad because he realized there was a limit to what he was willing to do for God. He trusted God enough to obey several of the commandments, but not enough to give up something he felt was central to his identity—being rich. Jesus asked him to do the one thing he was not willing to do.

But, was that the end of the story for this often-maligned Bible character? I don’t think so.

I relate to the rich, young ruler because when I was in college I had a God experience, during which He showed me the limits of my trust in Him. Like the rich, young ruler, I felt like a failure in God’s eyes because I didn’t want to exchange the life I had, and hoped to have, for whatever God had for me, Monty Hall-style, behind door number two.

For about ten years, I went about my life doing it my way, struggling, like many of us do in our 20s, while experiencing God’s grace and slowly learning to trust Him in some areas. Then, in 1999 during a conversation with my grandfather in my aunt’s living room in Puerto Rico, I took the leap, choosing to give up the life I envisioned for whatever God had planned for me.

Shortly after that life-changing decision, I began to doubt whether I could follow Him. I wondered whether this was a life I could live. Then I received a card from someone I barely knew. Despite not knowing what I was going through (no one did), she paraphrased a scripture that spoke to me in an incredible way:

…Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. (Isaiah 43:1)

I can’t adequately describe the peace I felt knowing, as John wrote in the 15^th chapter of his gospel, that I didn’t choose Him—He chose me!

So, based on my experience, when I think about the rich, young ruler, I can’t help but think this wasn’t the end of his story. Maybe it was just the beginning for him. Like me, I believe his experience with Jesus was designed to help him “count the cost” as the Bible puts it. That would not only be consistent with my experience, but with other scriptures in the Bible that describe the extreme measures God is willing to take to save us.

What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish. (Matthew 18:12-14)