Making Jesus Real (blog)

Years ago I stopped in at a church to make an emergency phone call, on my way home from work. The pastor spent some time talking with me, gave me a Bible (my first one) and invited me to a service. Not long after that, Pastor Bill baptized me into the Christian faith.I'm so thankful that he took the time to care.As I read God's Word and listened to Pastor Bill's sermons, I remembered people who had been a part of my life earlier on and, with amazement, recognized the love of Jesus in them....Cynthia!She was a senior and I was a freshman in high school, when I joined the silks squad. I remember being so excited and eager to learn how to twirl my flag while marching with the school band. To join meant to practice twirling in sync with the other squad members, of course, and this was hard for me because I was shy and I felt intimidated by the older girls.Cynthia picked up on my discomfort and came to my rescue. She was warm and friendly, and she went out of her way to talk with me and to help me feel welcome. She even gave me rides home from practice, a real honor being that I was a lowly freshman.There was something noticeably different about Cynthia. For one thing, she listened to Amy Grant on her car radio. I'd never heard of her, so Cynthia explained that she sang Christian music. Cynthia went to church, and I'd never heard any other teenagers talk about that before either. She didn't talk too much about it or about anything else though. She seemed more interested in hearing what I had to say.That's what really set her apart from everyone else.When the squad came together for a weekend in the Poconos, Cynthia's support enabled me to overcome my shyness and join in the fun. I didn't even mind too much when the girls toothpasted and feathered me, my 'initiation' into the group, because I knew that Cynthia and I would laugh about it after. It meant so, so much to know that this trusted friend was right there with me.Remembering Cynthia's care made everything I was reading in my Bible and hearing in church services wonderfully real for me. She had made the love of Jesus real for me. I can't remember the names of the other girls in my silks squad, but I will never forget Cynthia.After a few years I moved on to a new job and a new church, and I lost touch with Pastor Bill. I hadn't kept up with Cynthia either. I wonder if they have any idea what an impact their little acts of kindness have had in my life?They were just living out their faith in Jesus each day, actively and intentionally loving the people that our Lord brought into their lives, according to His Master Plan. They couldn't see that plan, and they didn't need to. Their trust in it, and in Him, made it real for them.And, some years later, for me.