Introduction
Jeff was basically a good kid. He went to church every Sunday with his family and he stayed out of trouble, yet something was missing in his life. At age fourteen he experienced a time of great depression. What made the difference, helping him pull out of his depression, were these three simple words: "Jesus loves me."
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Jeff's Best Decision
I was never that bad of a kid. I didn't drink or run with the wrong crowd or commit crimes. My family went to church almost every Sunday at a Methodist church three miles from our home. It wasn't, though, that I had a choice about going to church. My parents would have dragged me by the collar if I hadn't walked with them. Still, something was missing.
When I was in third grade I went through confirmation at the small Methodist church where we were members. I remember riding the bus around and seeing the different places our denomination did missions. I went up to the front of the church during a worship service with the rest of my class and was sprinkled on the head with water by the minister. I remember I had to tell the pastor my name because we had never spoken to each other before.
Great Depression
I went through a period of great depression when I was about fourteen or fifteen years old. Years later, when I told my story for the first time, a girl cornered me afterward and asked me to explain how I was able to pull out of it. She said her mother was in the hospital for depression and she wanted her to get well. I had no idea you could go to the hospital for depression. I told her what made the difference for me were the simple words, "Jesus loves me."
Isn't that an amazing thing to think about? It isn't like he's a friend who might judge a thought or an action, but doesn't know the heart. Jesus knows the heart and all our motives and judgments, and he loves us anyway. That’s the kind of love God has for us - it is an "anyhow" kind of love. It is a powerful love and unlimited in every way.
I didn't realize this until I went one time to a youth retreat in 1983. We didn't go any place really spectacular or different. In fact, the retreat was pretty uneventful. I spent one morning petting a cat outside the fellowship hall and talking with some of the other youth in my group. I remember it was a beautiful weekend and there was a car show down by the lake. I remember asking one man, "How fast does your car go?"
He said with a smile, "Nobody knows. We haven’t been able to get it to full speed yet." It sure looked like it could fly.
I Saw Jesus
The difference for me that weekend was I saw Jesus in several people. I felt cherished, loved and special.
How can anyone tell a person that Jesus loves them and then judge that person and wash their hands of them? Jesus sure did have the chance to wash his hands of me. In fact, when you look at it, Jesus always seemed to spend time with those people society had already given up on. His crowd was the prostitutes, tax collectors, thieves and other sinners. He didn't push religion on them or tell them to go to synagogue. He simply loved them and told them about His Father.
I wonder why we can’t seem to do the same today?
Making a Decision
After the retreat, I heard a gospel presentation on television. During the show, there was a lady explaining how to pray and ask Jesus to be my Savior. It seemed to be the easiest thing in the world to do. I had already met my friend Jesus in those around me. She explained that you have to make a personal decision about who Jesus is for you. You have to make a choice about how you're going to respond to the cross.
So I prayed to ask Jesus into my heart as a 16-year-old boy. Now, here I am at 39 years old, and it was the best decision I have ever made in my life. Everything I do as a minister and chaplain points back to that day that I met Jesus.
Today I am an ordained minister and deacon. I have been involved with several different ministries. Along the way, I have witnessed many people who don't show God’s love the same way my youth group did back in 1983. I would just like to encourage anyone reading this to make that same decision I did. What are you going to do about Jesus and his love for you?
