When I was in my 20s, I asked a woman I knew about her conversion from one religion to another. She explained that she converted to her husband’s faith when she married. It hadn’t been difficult, she explained. “The only real difference is Jesus and he was never important to me anyway.”
I was so stunned by that comment that I was unable to respond. I was young and it was one of the first times I experienced someone who knew about Jesus but made a conscious choice to reject him. That conversation haunts me to this day – and it makes me ask myself, “Who do I say Jesus is, and who is He to me?”
When I am introducing a friend, I normally interject a story or two of how she has impacted my life. It helps to convey the depth and length of relationship and gives the other party a chance to connect on a deeper level. Because I have a relationship with Jesus – I don’t just know about Him but I know Him – I should be able to present Him to others in the same way as I would introduce my friends. When I share specific ways that Jesus has impacted my life, I am opening the door for others to experience Jesus themselves.
One of my favorite hymns, In The Garden – written by C. Austin Miles, speaks of the friendship between Jesus and one of His own. Whenever I sing these lines, I cannot help but smile because it reminds me of my own relationship with Him.
“And He walks with me and He talks with me
And he tells me I am his own”
Who do I say Jesus is? He is my savior and my friend, my hope and my joy. He has opened the door for me to have relationship with God and He advocates for me with the Father. Jesus is the reason I can face difficult days and deal with difficult relationships. He teaches me forgiveness, faithfulness, and trust. Above all, He loves me in a way that frees me to love others.
Who do you say Jesus is? Who is Jesus to you?