Sunday, October 21, 2007

• A PROPER INTRODUCTION

  I lived in one small town for a period of about eight months. During that time, I made a few friends. One of which was a girl that I had met through one of my family members prior to moving to this town. She and I had become close one summer and had been able to spend time with each other off and on for a couple years before I moved to her town. I admired her and I think and hope to some degree that she admired me.

  Time had passed, and I moved away from that small town and eventually out of state. Years of silence separated us, fifteen years to be exact, until one year, after moving back to Texas and near enough to that small town to visit, I saw her at the fair. My husband was with me and I introduced her to him. “This is Carla. She used to baby sit for my aunt,” I said. We all exchanged greeting and went on our way.

  It wasn’t until later that I realized what an injustice I had done to her. I didn’t introduce her as my friend, but as a former employee of my aunt. I hope her heart didn’t feel let down. I hope she was not conscious of what I had done for it was unintentional. If I had it to do over, I would introduce her to my husband as a good friend from high school that I truly admired. Even though, it was through my aunt that I had met her, our friendship had gone beyond the fact that she babysat for my aunt. It went to the point that we had known each other and spent time with each other, laughing and comforting one another.

  What is it like when I introduce my best friend to someone else? Do I say, “This is Jesus. He used to really touch my mom’s heart.” “This is Jesus, my great grandmother met him at a tent revival back in the thirties.” “This is Jesus, I have seen him work miracles in other people’s lives.” “This is Jesus. He died for my father’s sins.” Oh, I hope not.

  This is Jesus. He has been so good and faithful to me. He has been there to dry my tears, to hear my every prayer, to take me up and hold me in his arms when I needed comforting, and to be everything to me that I needed him to be. He died for my sins and I met him one night when I repented of my sins. He made those sins disappear when I was buried in the water in his name and then, just like he told his disciples that he would dwell inside them, he came and lived inside of me to be my strength, my comfort and my hope, and more than that, my God.

  © CHRISTY L. B.

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