FAITH & REFLECTION
Does Jesus really make a difference in our lives? I had a refreshing conversation last week with an individual who’d recently decided to believe in and follow Jesus. We shared with one another, that both of us, before becoming believers, (for him, a few months ago, for me more than four decades) had thought that Christians might not be too clever. We had supposed that Christians simply psych themselves out and try very hard to believe what they would like be true. However, we concurred that in yielding our lives to God, through Christ, our thinking changed immediately...on that topic and many others. We now believe that Jesus makes a difference!
I believe that Jesus, introduced into any situation, life or circumstance, will make a difference. And He seems to have the ability to reach all sorts of people in a variety of ways. One of the more touching stories that I’ve ever read in this regard, is written by Phyllis Zeno.
She tells of a beautiful, but deeply disturbed four-year-old girl who was enrolled in her daycare. She was attracted to the little girl, more for her need than her beauty. Phyllis said she was heartbroken by, “this child who had so little, but needed so much.”
She was born in prison, but before incarceration, her mother had used crack cocaine for most of the pregnancy. Consequently, the child was totally nonverbal and posed significant emotional/control problems. She was a constant challenge.
When approached, she would exhibit violent behavior. These episodes could last for hours and typically left her on the floor in a fetal position, weeping uncontrollably...Phyllis prayed for her constantly. Progress was non-existent, and everyone had given up any hope of her ever speaking.
Over time, a bond developed between the child and Phyllis. Daily, they would sit in a rocking chair and as they rocked, Phyllis sang repeatedly, “Jesus loves me”. This activity calmed her and became a valuable respite time for both of them.
One day, Phyllis states, “...after a very long battle I held my special girl to calm her fears and pain. On this occasion, without singing, we rocked back and forth in silence. Then she looked at me with tear-filled eyes and spoke for the first time, “Sing to me about that Man who loves me.”’ He makes a difference!
“Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong, we are weak, but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me, yes, Jesus loves me, yes, Jesus love me, the Bible tells me so!”
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).