A little bit ago a high school student stopped by my office at church wanting information about our youth group and how she can get involved. I’ve never seen this girl before, so we started talking. Turns out she’s been wanting to come to church for a long time, but her parents wouldn’t let her until a recent turn of events in their family. When she was in jr. high some Christian friends told her about Christ, but she more or less rejected it. Although she lost touch with those friends, the message sunk in a couple years later and she’s been itching to attend church ever since. She said she doesn’t know much about Jesus, but over and over again with a huge smile on her face, she said, “I just love Jesus!” I’ve never seen a teenager so excited to be in a church! Her excitement for wanting to know God is so contagious. I left that conversation thinking, “Wow.”

A bunch of questions are running through my mind:

• Why is it that some of our church kids could be banned from church and not miss a second of it, while others who are not permitted to attend church want to be here so badly?
• Why are people who are filled with knowledge about God often not nearly as passionate about Him as this girl? Kinda like the reaction of those Jesus healed as opposed to the Pharisees.
• This story proves that the fruit of our evangelism efforts are totally up to God. Who knows when His story will finally sink in. Those Christian jr. high girls may never know the difference their conversation made with this girl.
• Why don’t more students share their faith with friends? This girl seemed like she was beaming to tell everyone she knew.

Posted on June 13, 2007