A Small Beginning

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It was a Sunday evening in the spring. We were cooking out at a friend’s apartment. We watched as the young couple parked nearby and then walked towards us. They carried Bibles in their hands. This was back when many churches still had Sunday evening services, and they were clearly returning home from one.

We were not being raucous, but we were also not pursuing the things of God. I knew the tenor of our conversation would be offensive to them, and I hoped my friends would remain quiet until the couple went inside. I didn’t expect a lecture, but I was braced for a scowl of disapproval.

The young man smiled as he passed. “Hello. How are you all?”

We nodded. We were fine.

“Have a nice night.”

We all mumbled our thanks and watched as they disappeared into their apartment.

That, I thought to myself, is the kind of life I want to have someday.

But no sooner had the thought entered my mind than my conscience stabbed. Someday? Could one really put God aside until one was ready?

Of course, I reasoned. It will be easier to live the Christian life later. In a few years, maybe. Just not now.

I knew in my soul that my logic was flawed. The lie that people could come to God on their own terms was first told in the garden by a serpent. The verses I had learned as a child reminded me that Christianity was not a garment one could put on and remove at will, but a life. A dying to oneself. A cross to carry.

But apart from that, if the evening was successful, and I finally caught the eye of that college boy across the way, was that a choice that would lead me to this final goal?

I mostly pushed the thoughts aside, but the shell of a seed, faithfully planted by so many godly teachers through the years, began to soften. It would take several months for the barriers to finally fall away, but that night was a beginning.

I am indebted to that couple, wherever they are. It was nothing more than a kind hello and a friendly smile, but it helped to turn me to a different path.

Never underestimate the impact of your witness to a watching world.

This post originally appeared on my previous blog in April 2012.