"And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are
more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand
from their left-and also many animals?" (Jonah 4:11, NIV2)
I was finally in high school, and I was truly a happy student! I even had a
friend who walked home with me every day. Who could beat that?
Then thunder hit me. You see, it was a girl who I walked home with, and one day
she shocked me with these words: "I like you!" I was shattered. After all, she
was my friend. Why would she want to go into all that mushy stuff? All I could
think was, "Yuck!" I looked her in the eye, and somehow I didn't like what I
saw, so I did what anyone would do in that case: I ran away from her! Well,
maybe not everyone would have done that! But from then on, I walked home alone!
Then the bug bit me a few months later. I noticed a girl who was so friendly and
so beautiful…AND she was in my class! Bonus! Why hadn't I noticed her before? I
now wonder how I could have known how "friendly" she was, because I had never
even talked to her. I guess I liked her hair! In any case, after this I always
made certain to keep a good distance from her. I was truly too shy for these
kinds of things!
Then one day, months later, I "broke up" with her, a girl I had never even
spoken to. How dare she kiss another boy on the lips? Yuck! I never wanted to be
near her after that, and as a result, I never did get up the nerve to talk to
her.
Can you imagine being that shy with anyone? Yes, when I started high school in
grade 7, I was very shy. Especially towards girls. Some of us, however, are shy
with everyone we meet, and as a result, we keep everyone at arm's length.
We have personally met the Lover of our souls, and this is the biggest news we
could ever encounter in our lives. What should we do?
Most of us who fall in love with our future spouses, cannot help but share with
everyone how charming that person truly is. But Jesus is way more graceful and
charming than anyone we can compare Him to, and in addition, He also heals us
and promises us a glorious future. Why wouldn't we want to share this terrific
news? Are we too shy?
When we find ourselves in God's Kingdom, however, how will we feel about all
these missed opportunities? "I could have been a witness to that one, and
to this one as well,
but I didn't!"
I was so shy because I was immature, and eventually I got over my shyness. This
was truly a good thing, otherwise I may have missed the opportunity of getting
to know my own wife!
Let's remember that a relationship with God leads to genuine love that will
motivate us to share the One we have encountered in our lives; the One who gives
us inner peace; the One who will guide us in all things; the One who can give us
real rest; the One who will show what true love looks like. I am starting to be
filled with adrenaline. Aren't you? Wow, come on over, I have some great news for you!
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.