I first started going to church when I was 14 years old. I had no church background or understanding of
what it was – or was supposed to be. But
I went. As far as I was concerned, the
church was a brick building full of a lot of smiling people who seemed to
genuinely care about me.
It was weird. But
it was enough for me at the time.
I was a good kid, didn’t get in trouble, and didn’t talk
much. And as a result I was often
overlooked at school, so I enjoyed the fact that there was a place where people
took an interest in me. As I grew up, so
did my understanding of church and God and what it was all about. I had great Sunday School teachers. “Big Jim” was one of those – the first Sunday
School teacher I ever had. Jim is a
large man with an even larger heart, and I can still remember how he patiently answered
all of my questions and never treated me like I was dumb for asking. Week in and week out he was there, always
smiling and always happy to see me. He
was a constant, something I could depend on.
And this is what he did for me…
“Let me give you a
new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one
another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when
they see the love you have for each other.” John 13:35 msg
Big Jim accepted me as I was, with the limited amount of
understanding I had, and helped me see what being a Christian was all about. And the thing is…I don’t remember a word of
anything he ever said about the Bible, Jesus or God. But I remember that he cared. He taught me what it meant to be a disciple
of Christ not only through words, but in the way that he loved others...namely
me.
So this is my shout out to Big Jim! I pray that I have been able to do for others
what you did for me! Because the truth is,
the world could use a few more Big Jims!
