are you the sole survivor?

I was watching Survivor today and something interesting happened. 
If you don't watch Survivor, I'll tell you a little about it first. 


Basically, you start off on two different tribes, and then you compete for rewards (ie. food) or immunity. If your tribe wins immunity, then you're safe for that "round." If you don't win, you have to go to "tribal council" and you have to vote someone off of your tribe (the two tribes eventually merge as one tribe as the show proceeds).
Usually after you're voted out, you go home. However, this time on Survivor, there's this new thing called "Redemption Island," where you go instead, after you are voted out. Once you go to "Redemption island", you await the coming of the next person who is voted out and then you duel them. If you win the duel, you stay at "Redemption Island." If you lose, you go home for good. Eventually, the person left on "Redemption Island" rejoins their tribe! 


So there's this one guy named Matt. He was the second person voted off from his tribe and he's Christian. He goes to "Redemption Island" and he starts off strong and fully trusts God. Before rejoining his tribe, he tells the host, Jeff, that he thinks that God wants him to keep winning. 
He competes with the first person who was voted out, and wins against her. As the show continues, more people are voted out, and Matt wins challenge after challenge. 
Each contestant is able to bring one item with them and this one girl brought a bible. After she loses against Matt at their duel, she gives him her bible to keep for the rest of the time that he is on the show. 


Matt wins all the duels he competes in and the two tribes merge and he joins the merged tribe. His original tribe had more numbers than the opposing tribe, so the opposing tribe needed someone to switch alliances in order for them to "regain control in the game." They targeted Matt; however, Matt had made the decision not to betray his original tribe, and he told them that he would not do so. Mike, who was on the opposing tribe, then told Matt that if he were to vote with them, he would take Matt to the final three. Matt was appealed by the idea and though he was tempted to betray his old tribe, he decided to keep his word.    


Little did he know that his original tribe did not trust HIM, and they ended up voting Matt out. And so, he goes back to "Redemption Island," where he lives in isolation...again. 


When his tribe votes him out a second time, Matt seems a bit confused and hurt because he called his tribe mates his friends. He also doesn't know what God wants anymore.  


ANYWAYS,
Mike gets voted out next, and then Julie gets voted out. Being on "Redemption Island" with Matt, they both notice the strength that Matt was able to maintain through his faith in God. 


So today, Matt, Mike and Julie had to duel each other. They didn't have to be the first to complete the challenge, they just didn't have to be last. Julie ending up losing to Mike and Matt so she was sent home. Before she left, she was sharing why she went on the show, and she was talking about how her house is in foreclosure and she saw the show as an opportunity to make a better life for her kids (you win $1 million for being the sole survivor!). Even though she didn't win, she says that she is walking away with more than the money. Her life was changed through Matt's story with God and when she goes back home, she says that she is going to find a church and get involved! :)  


YAY! Praise the Lord! 
This whole blog post was to talk about the last paragraph lol..I hope it wasn't too long. 
Matt faced a lot of challenges that Christians encounter in life while he was on the show thus far - isolation from a Christian community, temptation, feeling far from God and abandoned. But through his strong faith in the Lord, he is still able to persevere! And through this faith, he was able to encourage others, and strike curiosity!  


I pray that Christ will dwell in our hearts through faith (Ephesians 3:17), we will make known his deeds among the peoples and tell others of all his wondrous works (Psalm 105:1-2)!!! We will look to the Lord for our strength and seek Him always (1 Chronicles 16:11)! :) Amen!