05/09/2023
Laura and I returned home several days ago from a short-term mission trip with TCM in Austria (tcmi.org) followed by a vacation in the UK. Our trip to the UK included traveling companions of Luke and Analise, our youngest son and his wife who, like us, were experiencing the people and places “on the other side of the pond” for the first time. Our whirlwind tour of England, Scotland, and Ireland was amazing, interesting, exhausting, and refreshing all within one week.
In typical preacher fashion, I took notes of lessons learned from our travels that apply to a much larger and longer journey, the journey of faith.
One such lesson came through the wonderful experiences we had with Budget, Enterprise, and Hertz. We wanted to expand our exploration capabilities by renting cars, but I had not planned on expanding my stress level by driving on the “wrong” side of the road while sitting on the wrong side of the car with a stick shift on the wrong side of my body. This new driving experience required constant attention and determination…to say the least.
It was “foreign” to me, uncomfortable, challenging, and it left me feeling inept and out of place (especially when people would honk at me for not entering and exiting roundabouts correctly).
This made me think about people who come to faith in Jesus Christ and immediately begin shifting their values, lifestyles, and attitudes to align with this new walk of life. Most likely it feels foreign to them, uncomfortable, challenging, and at times they may feel inept and out of place.
For those of us who have been following Jesus for most of our lives, the biggest help we can bring to these “newbies” is…grace. It took time for me to adjust to driving on the left side of the road while sitting in the driver’s seat on the right side of the car with a stick shift to my left. The more seasoned British drivers who smiled and waved (but were probably muttering, “Americans!” under their breath) gave me greater courage to face the next roundabout fast approaching. Those drivers who showed me grace made me a better driver. Those who showed me impatience made me want to turn in my keys and drive no more.
Likewise, it will take time for new disciples to get accustomed to some new rules of the road, so to speak. Let’s not honk. Let’s not glare. Let’s smile, encourage, and show people a better way.
In Acts 18 we read about Apollos who was eloquent and competent in the Scriptures, but his teaching was insufficient for “he knew only the baptism of John” (Acts 18:25). Two wise Christian leaders, Priscilla and Aquila, “took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately” (Acts 18:26). They apparently did so graciously without shaming him for not knowing enough about the doctrine of baptism, for he continued his ministry by helping “those who through grace had believed” (Acts 18:27).
I’m grateful for those friendly Brits who helped me along in my driving journey, and I’m grateful for those friendly believers who have helped me along in my journey of faith. May we be grace-filled Christians who help new believers adjust to new ways, so they will want to keep driving and not turn in their keys and drive no more.
