But in your hearts, set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. 1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)
He didn’t think I saw the tears, but I did just for an instant; then they were gone as he pawed clumsily at his lock of red hair. When you’re a 19 year old boy, crying in front of an adult is the ultimate in humiliation. “I think everyone I used to know hates me because I decided to stop trying to pretend I was a Christian.” The words flew at me like stinger bees. I felt each one hit their mark. Emotionally, I was devastated. This was a kid I had grown to love over the years. He had grown up in a church (not Washington Cathedral) and had spent several years serving in a variety of capacities. He’d been through that denomination’s youth program designed to bring kids to a point of acceptance of Jesus. He’d actually done that, accepted Jesus, and, in his own words: “Jesus was about my only friend all through high school. I talked with Him regularly, told Him all my struggles, but I never really heard back from Him.”
Then, it seems he started asking questions and that’s when the trouble began. “My few friends drifted away from me because they didn’t like the questions I was asking. My Pastors couldn’t explain anything that made any sense to me. My parents were no help. And now, the people I thought I could count on, my aunts, uncles, cousins, all of them Christians, don’t want anything to do with me.” At that point, he stopped the futile wiping of his eyes because the tears were coming too fast. All I could do was hug him and assure him that others, like me, loved him and would never reject him because of his questions. We had a very long conversation that evening and I went to bed feeling more powerless and sad than I had in a long time.
Here was a struggling young man on the cusp of adulthood, wanting some answers and sincerely seeking the Truth and yet his closest circle gave him nothing but a sense of rejection and, in his words “hate.”
Dear God! When are we, as Christians, going to stop withdrawing, judging and refusing to help those who ask the difficult questions? When are we going to reach out in love and, with the grace that we have so generously received, welcome the earnest seeker? What are we afraid of? Don’t we have a testimony? Didn’t Christ set us free? Can’t we share our story? Scripture urges us to “be prepared…..” Are we? If not, let’s get prepared. Let’s make sure our testimony is less than 24 hours old. Let’s re-read Psalms 103 and reclaim “all our benefits.” Let’s have a serious conversation with our Holy Spirit and ask Him for opportunities to share what we know as Truth with others. People are dying spiritually out there. Let’s be ready to offer true sustenance.
One way to do that is to get involved in one of the many opportunities to dig more deeply into God’s word through a TLC, WOW, Men’s Ministries or Wednesday night’s “The Source.” Your own personal searching will also yield a rich reward. We have the Holy Spirit as our ultimate Teacher, after all.
Let’s try to not let one person who comes onto our campus feel rejection because we haven’t engaged them in conversation and probed some of the deeper questions of our faith with them.
Pastor Sally Jo Holmes
Then, it seems he started asking questions and that’s when the trouble began. “My few friends drifted away from me because they didn’t like the questions I was asking. My Pastors couldn’t explain anything that made any sense to me. My parents were no help. And now, the people I thought I could count on, my aunts, uncles, cousins, all of them Christians, don’t want anything to do with me.” At that point, he stopped the futile wiping of his eyes because the tears were coming too fast. All I could do was hug him and assure him that others, like me, loved him and would never reject him because of his questions. We had a very long conversation that evening and I went to bed feeling more powerless and sad than I had in a long time.
Here was a struggling young man on the cusp of adulthood, wanting some answers and sincerely seeking the Truth and yet his closest circle gave him nothing but a sense of rejection and, in his words “hate.”
Dear God! When are we, as Christians, going to stop withdrawing, judging and refusing to help those who ask the difficult questions? When are we going to reach out in love and, with the grace that we have so generously received, welcome the earnest seeker? What are we afraid of? Don’t we have a testimony? Didn’t Christ set us free? Can’t we share our story? Scripture urges us to “be prepared…..” Are we? If not, let’s get prepared. Let’s make sure our testimony is less than 24 hours old. Let’s re-read Psalms 103 and reclaim “all our benefits.” Let’s have a serious conversation with our Holy Spirit and ask Him for opportunities to share what we know as Truth with others. People are dying spiritually out there. Let’s be ready to offer true sustenance.
One way to do that is to get involved in one of the many opportunities to dig more deeply into God’s word through a TLC, WOW, Men’s Ministries or Wednesday night’s “The Source.” Your own personal searching will also yield a rich reward. We have the Holy Spirit as our ultimate Teacher, after all.
Let’s try to not let one person who comes onto our campus feel rejection because we haven’t engaged them in conversation and probed some of the deeper questions of our faith with them.
Pastor Sally Jo Holmes
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