Early that morning, my husband dressed Timmy, our two-year-old, in shorts and a short-sleeved, navy blue polo shirt. Timmy looked neat and clean (and handsome, I might add). But only a few hours later—by midmorning—the front of Timmy’s shirt was no longer pristine.
Brightly-colored flecks of Play-Doh dotted the blue cotton, visible reminders of our playtime. There were also spots of oatmeal from Timmy’s breakfast that somehow got rubbed deeper into his shirt as I was trying to clean them off. And there was dirt from our front yard because (in my experience, at least) little boys can’t play outside without getting dirty.
As I looked at those specks and splotches, I realized that it would have been obvious even to a stranger what Timmy had been involved with that day. And the thought hit me—do you and I as moms have equally clear evidence in our lives that we have been with Jesus?
Peter and John—the disciples of our Lord—had lives that clearly bore that evidence. Oh, it took them time to grow in their faith, just as it takes us. But by the time they stood before Jewish leaders and answered the leaders’ questions, their courage had become so great that it was astonishingly obvious to those men that Peter and John had been with Jesus (see the complete story in Acts 4).
What evidence do you and I bear in our lives that we have been with Jesus?
Or maybe even before that, we need to ask ourselves, Have we been with Jesus?
If you’re not a Christian, then no, you don’t have a personal relationship with Him. (Please contact me; I’d love to introduce you to my Best Friend.) But if you are a Christian, you should be spending time with Him on a regular basis. Things like prayer, Bible study, and Christian fellowship should be a regular, vital part of your life, because in these ways, you encounter Jesus.
When you do—when you spend regular time with the Lord—it will be obvious in your life. There will be evidence.
One of the ways I’ve matured as I’ve grown in my relationship with Jesus is in my compassion and love for others. Perhaps you will grow the same way as you spend time with Him. Or maybe you’ll grow in other character qualities—patience or joy, for example. Maybe, like Peter and John, you will develop a divinely inspired courage. Maybe you’ll learn to control your tongue better and speak only what is helpful for building others up and benefiting those who listen (see Eph. 4:29).
Christ shining through you might look different in some ways from the way he shines through me, your best friend, or anybody else. That’s fine. One reason God made us all different is to that we can reflect different facets of His glory. But be assured that when you spend time with Jesus, He will shine through.
You won’t be able to help but be changed as you grow in your relationship with Him. That’s because no one who truly encounters Jesus can ever be the same. And to the extent that you encounter Him, the evidence will show forth in your life.
Have you been with Jesus enough that the evidence is clear?
Acts 4:13—When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. (NIV)
