It is an interesting thing. Watching people grapple with Christianity. Those that ask questions, and those that mock, or ridicule. In my personal opinion I believe they do so because they either don’t understand it or because it scares them.
I had the opportunity to work with a certain individual. Out of respect, I won’t mention his name. I’ll just call him Bob. Bob had a very rough and tough exterior. I believe that it was his way of making sure people didn’t mess with him. A mental defense mechanism, if you will, with the mindset of “They can’t hurt what they can’t touch.”
Now, being a pastor, it is my responsibility to lead, exhort, and defend. As such, when I see anyone who knows they are lost, and I have regular contact with them, it is for a specific purpose. In early October I asked him what his stance was on Christianity. His response was as follows.
“Christianity, like any other religion is a farce. A good idea that turned into a set of rules designed to put you in a box, and control you.”
My response, “Well Bob, that’s where you are wrong. Christianity isn’t a religion… Christianity is a relationship.”
I didn’t hear anything else about it. He asked no further questions, and did not bring the subject up again. Fast forward almost 10 months, and much had changed. I ended my time at that office in January. In August of that same year I received a random message from Bob. It seems as though Bob had been through what I will call a season of purpose. He finally had something to strive for, something to pursue. Family. A woman and her two kids snapped him out of what I will just call self-destructive behavior.
He had become adjusted to the swing of being a family man, he was happy and comfortable. Until Satan got involved. For reasons that I do not believe were his fault, he was no longer able to visit with her or the kids.
He remembered the light he saw in me. The Godly lifestyle I displayed. I am proud that I displayed the behavior that is talked about in Matthew 5: 14-16
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Bob came to me seeking council. His tough exterior clearly had been worn down. He was just a shell of the man I used to work with. I want to give a quote from an unknown source.
“Love is the act of giving someone the power to destroy you, and trusting them not to use it.”
It seems that Bob had done such an act. He was (and in my opinion still is) heavily invested in this relationship. I believe, even if Bob doesn’t know it yet, God is about to rock him to the core. In the weeks after I had more meetings with the man, I began to see a definite difference. He seems more collected and a bit more stable. And It is truly an honor to see the Lord working in his life.
This is Pastor Amos, reminding you that even though you may not see it, God is working, and your story is important to Him.
