The Pastor’s Pen - September 2023
When I was first asked to write the September issue of the “Pastor’s Pen”, I hesitated and wondered how I would do that. I recalled some previous writings, and remembered what a wonderful writer Pastor Lars is. He has an amazing and creative writing style and although I can write, I certainly cannot write like he does. But, knowing that it was an important question, I said “sure.” I tucked the writing project into the back of my mind – after all, there were so many other things going on at Lord of Grace that needed attention.
And here we are – I find myself sitting in my kitchen, drinking coffee, and staring at my open laptop. I ask myself over and over “what should I write about?” And then I found something online that I thought would be perfect. I did not write it but found it inspiring. It has a message that I would like to share with you.
THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP
As a part of an assignment for a doctoral thesis, a college student spent a year with a group of Navajo Indians on a reservation in the Southwest. As he did his research he lived with one family, sleeping in their hut, eating their food, working with them, and generally living the life of a twentieth-century Indian.
The old grandmother of the family spoke no English at all, yet an awfully close friendship formed between the two. They spent a great deal of time sharing a friendship that was meaningful to each, yet unexplainable to anyone else. In spite of the language difference, they shared the common language of love and understood each other.
Over the months he learned a few phrases of Navajo, and she picked up a little of the English language. When it was time for him to return to the campus and write his thesis, the tribe held a going-away celebration. It was marked by sadness since the young man had become close to the whole village and all would miss him.
As he prepared to get up into the pickup truck and leave, the old grandmother came to tell him good-bye. With tears streaming from her eyes, she placed her hands on either side of his face, looked directly into his eyes and said, “I like me best when I'm with you.”
Isn't that the way we feel in the presence of Jesus? He brings out the best in us. We learn to see ourselves as worthy and valuable when we are in His presence. The hurts, the cares, the disappointments of our lives are behind us when we look in His eyes and realize the depth of His love. Our self-esteem no longer depends on what we have done or failed to do; it depends only on the value that He places on us. To be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ is to generate in other people the Indian grandmother's simple statement: “I like me best when I am with you.
Pastor Lars will be proud of how we have stepped up during his time away – we have overcome obstacles, solved problems, and accomplished so much! It is evident that Jesus is with us, and he continues to bring out the best in all of us!
God’s blessings,
Linda Merritt Council President
–James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1988) p. 228.