Saturday, May 21, 2022

 

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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