As a new believer in Jesus, I was once accused of being overzealous. Some of you are thinking “Was?” These days I am definitely enthusiastic about my faith, but I’m also more discerning than I once was. What do I mean by that? I’m not so likely to blurt something out just to have something to say. But then, worse things could happen. Like saying nothing at all.

I have a vague recollection (because it has been a long, long time ago) of striking up a conversation with a young man I’d just met where I attempted to tell him something about God (the memory is vague on that one too). What I do remember is being quickly shot down by questions that I didn’t have answers for. Now that isn’t to say that you can’t tell anyone about your faith until you master the Bible, but over time I’ve learned to be a little more cautious concerning what and when to share.

Obviously, I bring that up because we’ve been looking at Chapter 18 of The Bridge from OneDayBow. Tim is very new to the Kingdom of OneDayBow, and a little confused about his current situation and location just outside the Bridge. Hmm… In time this is going to make a little more sense, but for now let’s just focus on Tim’s first opportunity to share the good news of the Kingdom. Tim now knows the truth and sees that it’s vitally important that Makenna knows it too – right away! The questions that he asks initially are a great opening:

“Have you heard about the King? What do you believe?”

But Makenna’s response was, confusion. But that wouldn’t stop Tim!

She stared at Tim uncertain of what to say or do,

So he continued talking, “I have good news for you!

I’ve crossed the Bridge to the King! You want to meet His Son?

He gave me a new Nooma!” And then she began to run!

And now Tim is the one who is surprised:

“Hey, wait! Where are you going? You’re running from the Bridge!

Please come back!” Tim shouted as Makenna crossed the ridge.

Somehow Tim had expected it to go better. Maybe he wasn’t as prepared as he thought, or maybe he was too prepared, or maybe Makenna wasn’t prepared…

Tim wasn’t going to give up. Maybe it wasn’t the right time, but maybe another time would be. Maybe Makenna would be ready later, and he would be too.

But as Tim settled into that reality, another one was looming large ahead of him: Tempters! He was obviously back in HereAndNow because they were there and trying to bait him with bobbles! He didn’t want or need bobbles anymore… Right? He certainly wasn’t interested in playing that no-win-game, but how was he going to reach anybody with the truth about the King if he looked like an alien from another universe???

Was Tim ready for this or not? He thought he was, but now…

Christian friend, whether you have been a follower of Jesus for twenty years or twenty minutes you have good news to share! And you have His Holy Spirit to guide and equip you – and don’t forget about the armor! Maybe you will meet resistance, or even hostility. Maybe you won’t have all the answers, but you can point them to the One who does. Sow the seed of the Word, water those tiny starts, point them to the Son. But do so realizing that we are not Home yet. Disappointments and even temptations will continue to come, but we have God and so we have help and hope. Don’t give up, don’t look back, keep moving forward because the best is yet to come!

For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!  So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.  (2 Corinthians 4:17-18 NLT)