Help Others Find What You’ve Found
A couple of our younger
grandchildren were visiting with us when two of their older cousins also
stopped by. As they played together, the bigger kids pulled out an old Spiderman
blanket from our back room, spreading it out on the living room floor. They
remembered how they used to lie on that blanket when they were the age and size
of their cousins. My wife and I would grab the corners of the blanket and swing
them back and forth until either our arms or back would give out. It was
interesting that those older grandchildren not only remembered how much they
enjoyed that particular activity with us, but now they wanted their young cousins
to experience the same joy. At first the younger ones didn’t want to cooperate.
However, after demonstrating what they were talking about with a stuffed animal,
the older kids finally persuaded the younger ones to plop down on the blanket.
Sure enough, they enjoyed being lifted in the air and swaying back and forth in
the makeshift hammock.
Isn’t that how we should be
regarding sharing our faith with others? We should want them to experience what
we’ve experienced. We know what the Lord has done for us and would love to see
others encounter Him in similar fashion. We want others to sense the overwhelming
peace that comes from knowing one’s sins are forgiven. We would like for others
to enjoy wonderful fellowship with the Lord. We would wish others could find
divine strength to help them through the tough times in life. We would like for
them to have the assurance that the Lord is with them at all times. We want
them to experience all the joys of knowing Christ and living for Him. Being a
witness or sharing our faith isn’t a burdensome chore. It can simply be encouraging
others to find the same wonderful relationship with the Lord that we’ve
discovered.
However, like my young
grandchildren, certain individuals may be hesitant to join in. Maybe they don’t
understand, have some misgivings, or just aren’t sure they want to take the plunge.
We may need to keep encouraging them and even demonstrating in various ways what
the Lord means to us. It may take time, but hopefully our heartfelt witness and
desire for their good will have a positive impact.
The Bible gives us numerous
examples of people who followed a similar practice. Andrew went to his brother,
Peter, to bring him to meet Christ. He told him, “We have found the Messiah”
(John 1:41), and wanted his brother to find Him, too. After encountering Jesus,
the Samaritan woman went to the people of her city saying, “Come, see a Man who
told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” (John 4:29). Jesus
instructed various people He had healed not to tell anyone about it, but those
people were so moved by what had happened to them that they still spread the
news, wanting others to experience similar miracles in their lives.
Are we sharing our faith like that?
First of all, we have to possess an experience to share with others. Have we
had a personal encounter with Christ? Has He forgiven us, cleansed us, and
changed our hearts? Do we enjoy an ongoing relationship with Him and daily
fellowship? Do we have something to share? If we do, then we should have such a
love and concern for those around us that we want them to experience the same
thing.
Think about what the Lord has done
for you. Then consider those people you know who would benefit from His working
in their lives, too. Pray for them and encourage them to seek what you’ve
found.
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