Just Say YES
Day 21 — September 11, 2018
By Doug Sharp
When Norma and I were asked to start a Young Married Class at First Baptist Church in Rockville, MD, we gave the usual excuses and reasons why someone else should do this. Such as, “we don’t know anybody“, “we have never worked with that age group before“, “we’re busy“, “I travel a lot“, “we’re too old”, (or maybe it was “we’re too young“) at that time. Anyway, we agreed to try. The Minister of Education convinced two couples to be the nucleus of this new class.
We do not claim any of the spiritual gifts mentioned by Paul in First Corinthians, Chapter 12. We don’t heal, preach, cast out demons, speak in tongues, etc. However, we did address the fact every week that God loves us and wants to be a part of our lives. We understood enough theology to confidentially proclaim that Jesus died for our sins and has prepared a place for us for eternity.
Norma provided a shoulder to cry on for many situations. Our house was a social gathering place almost every month. We shared fellowship in ways that would never occur to us old folks. One young couple planted their entire back yard with silver queen corn. When the corn was ready, they hosted a cook-out and we ate all the corn. The class record was 12 ears for one person.
Our members came from very diverse backgrounds. Some were medical students in military medical schools at Walter Reed Hospital. Two members were suspected of being CIA personnel. One couple was from Greece and he was disowned by his family when he became a Baptist. He was referred to as “the original Greek”. I never met a more faithful Christian or anyone whose family had severed relations with a young couple due to a faith issue.
Our class grew to approximately thirty members. Not due to any great spiritual gifts but because we showed love and understanding, a tolerance for different views, etc. All of us, Norma and myself included, came to know more about God and how to share that knowledge with others. We claim no personal credit for helping develop a closer walk with God for these young Christian and ourselves.
Small gifts can mean a lot. A positive attitude, a smile, an introduction, a willingness to listen, an understanding that people come from vastly different backgrounds, knowing we all get hungry, and acknowledging that God created all of us for a reason, all of this plus many more are little traits that create a bonding experience.
BUT, God showed us the value of saying YES to His requests. More than anything else, we followed the Golden Rule.
Whatever you do, do it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. Colossians 3:23