Influential Travelers

"So comfort each other and make each other strong as you are already doing." (Thessalonians 5:11)

In all that we do and experience as followers of Christ, I think we often tend to underestimate our influence on others. Not only are we ambassadors for Christ in a world that includes many non-believers in our midst, but we also have enormous bearing on the lives of fellow Christians.

The very first Bible study I attended was held in the home of a wonderful, intelligent, godly woman. As time passed, her living room swelled with women, both young and old, hungry to share in the wisdom of God’s Word. As a relatively new Christian, I felt inspired but also woefully inadequate. Most of the other women had such intelligent, insightful things to say about God, while I was lucky just to form a coherent thought. Most days, I never uttered a word, too afraid to sound as dumb as I felt. When we were to read a particular verse, I fumbled through my crisp Bible in vain, while others seemed to turn to the appropriate book and chapter in their well-worn Bibles with virtually no effort. Our host had a full arsenal of different Bibles and commentaries at her fingertips, each of them bookmarked in countless places. It was humbling to say the least.

I’m not sure how many other folks can relate, but as one new to faith in Christ at the time, I viewed the Bible in much the same way as I thought of God – holy and to be revered, yet also distant and untouchable. Imagine my horror when our Bible study leader asked us to underline a passage in our Bibles. Mark in my Bible, are you kidding? It’s God’s Word! Isn’t that like a divine form of vandalism? I couldn’t seem to bring myself to do it, even in pencil to be erased the moment I got home. It didn’t seem to matter that the most insightful women in the group had dog-eared pages and verses highlighted in neon pink throughout their Bibles. I couldn’t bring myself to "deface" my Bible in such a way.

On another day, our leader was discussing how she talked to Jesus on the way to and from work each day, as though He were riding shotgun next to her. Talking to Jesus in my car? Aren’t you supposed to pray to God on your knees, in the pew at church, or beside your bed at night? Is it really okay to just have a chat with God whenever you feel like it? The thought of Jesus taking a ride in my car was an image that both thrilled and haunted me. Everything I thought I knew about the practices of a faithful Christian was being challenged with each Bible study session. I kept coming back week after week, eager to learn what more I had been missing out on.

Fortunately, the wonderful women from those early studies in my walk of faith never judged me for my lack of knowledge or experience. They simply shared their hearts each week, influencing me in ways most of them will never realize. They, and the smaller group I now study with, serve as humble, faithful ambassadors for Christ. They remind me that at any given moment, we are all at different points in our walk with God. How we treat each other can influence a fellow believer’s commitment to that walk. It’s a responsibility we tend to forget, but it’s also an incredible privilege. I would not be where I am today without the loving, patient brothers and sisters in Christ that God so graciously placed in my path.

Today, my Bible has a few marks in it here and there, although I tend to make notes about particular passages in my journal. (I don’t trust that I’ll remember why I highlighted a specific verse months after the fact). But more importantly, the spine has developed a few small cracks from being opened repeatedly, and the pages don't stick together any longer as if fresh off the presses. I’ve also learned to speak with God in places and at times I would have once thought inappropriate. It's never perfect. It's a process.

Like everyone else, my walk with God is an ongoing adventure, a journey that includes miles behind me and many miles yet to travel. I’ve come to celebrate the fact that wherever each of us is on that journey, it’s exactly where we’re supposed to be. Let us always remember to join hands and support each other, no matter where we are. You never know when you might encourage a timid young believer or reinvigorate the seasoned traveler - even within the confines of Bible study. As long as we always keep Jesus as our tour guide, then it’s a trip well worth taking together.