Waiting or Reaching

The grey-haired couple stood at the front of our chapel to share about their mission experiences in France. They’re not retired, like their septuagenarian peers. No, this couple shared about their trip last summer and their return this summer. In her soft British accent, the wife ended their promotional video with this statement: “Many are still waiting to be won to the heart of Jesus Christ.”

I’ve been in involved in missions, in one capacity or another, since I was a teenager. All missionaries talk about those who need to hear, those who are lost, those who haven’t a clue about God. This woman offered a different perspective. Yes, people are lost and needy, but they’re also waiting, hungry for someone to tell them the Truth. Their souls are longing to know their Creator. Have you ever considered this? Evangelists often use the analogy of a drowning man. Salvation is just that: salvation. Those who do not know Christ are drowning, headed toward an end worse than death; those who are believers should be reaching to save them. Yet we who possess the life-saving device (Christ’s Truth) too often neglect the urgency to rescue them. Maybe it’s because we can’t physically see the dangers or maybe because those drowning aren’t screaming for help.

Not literally.

Or are they and we simply can’t hear it?

On another post CPQ commented about a coworker who tracked her down years after they had quit working together. Why? To ask her about Jesus. Who around you may be waiting even now? Waiting, reaching, searching.

Perhaps those waiting to be won are already believers among us. This lovely woman’s statement indicates salvation, but it encompasses more.  “…waiting to be won to the heart of Jesus …” Salvation from sin, yes, but also a sacred romance, a love undying, a haven of peace and belonging. Jesus Christ offers much more than residence in Heaven.

Which one are you? Are you reaching or waiting?

Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life. The person who aligns with me hungers no more and thirsts no more, ever. I have told you this explicitly because even though you have seen me in action, you don’t really believe me. Every person the Father gives me eventually comes running to me. And once that person is with me, I hold on and don’t let go.” — John 6:35-37 (MSG)