The Impact of One Life…
I woke up this morning with tears in my eyes. Right before going to bed last night I learned that Jill Austin had gone to be with the Lord after a three day battle with severe intestinal problems. I had been getting prayer alerts the past few days and, along with many others, had been contending for her life. I’m not sure how old she was - I just know she was too young and the Body of Christ will feel the loss.
Honestly, I’m surprised how much her death has impacted me. I didn’t know her well. But I realized this morning that her death has impacted me - because she impacted me. I first met Jill about 13-14 years ago through a friend who had been part of a “kinship” group with her several years earlier. I don’t think I’ve had more than a handful of brief face to face conversations with her in my life. I haven’t even been to that many public gatherings where she was ministering over the years, but a couple of those that I did attend were strategic and became turning points in my life.
Jill opened my eyes and heart to realms of God I never knew existed. When I listened to her talk about Jesus and saw the way she moved in the Spirit, something was stirred in me that hasn’t been quenched to this day. When I was first filled with the Spirit I had experiences with God that most of those around me couldn’t seem to relate to and I needed to know I wasn’t “losing it.” When I met Jill, I realized that she had encounters with Jesus that were way beyond what I had experienced. As a result, she made me hungry. She made me realize that not only was I not “losing it” but that there was always “more” and that we should go after it. She gave me a paradigm for prophetic ministry functioning in the church TODAY. She even gave me the first public “word” I’ve ever recieved. Really, she opened a key door in my life by showing me a living breathing example of a woman in ministry fulfilling her destiny with an “out of the box” call - despite the many limitations the mainstream church tried to place on her. She was a true forerunner and we owe her a great debt for breaking so many things open in the heavenlies and making the way easier for others to follow.
Like all of us, she wasn’t perfect. Over the years she had all kinds of unkind things said about her and many who questioned the “legitimacy” of her ministry. Honestly, there were times I didn’t track with her myself - but that doesn’t take away from the impact of what God did through her ministry. If only the body of Christ could truly get a hold of that concept. We’d be so much richer - and so much wiser. There is SO much we can and should be learning from one another. The fact that Jill’s life and ministry were imperfect make her impact all the greater because my life and ministry are imperfect, too. And if her life had this great an impact on me, well, maybe - just maybe - my imperfect life can make an impact too.
One thing I do know is that Jill loved Jesus and now the encounter will never end. Jill, you may have taken your last breath on this side, but you left me with one more living breathing example…the impact of one life.
Thank you - I’m still hungry for more. And because of a life well lived in abandon to Jesus, I know many others are too.