And then she came running to me, crying.
Who was I kidding?
In Honduras, I was a preschool teacher.
Last week, I was a 5th grade teacher.
Apparently all of that prepared me for this past week: Being a high school teacher.
Meet Nest. She is 16 years old. She is one of the sweetest girls I have ever met.
Nest is a Christian.
Nest is a Christian although her parents are not; although her parents are not ok with Christianity. Not even a little bit.
Nest is a Christian although she has to literally sneak out of her house to attend church behind her parents’ backs every Sunday morning.
Nest is a Christian although she is one of about 10 in her school of over a thousand kids.
Nest is a Christian although she is questioned and ridiculed and looked down upon every single day of her life because of it.
But Nest is a Christian, because, to her, it is worth it.
Nest is a Christian because she knows Christ.
And she knows she could never deny Him.
She knows she could never live without Him.
And she is willing to do whatever she needs to fight for Him.
Now, this is what a Christian is.
You’re baptized when you’re a baby, and bam, you’re a Christian.
You go to church every once in a while, if you feel like it. You’re a Christian.
You heard a sermon. It sounded like a good idea. I mean, after all, hell would really suck. So you said a prayer, accepted Christ, and you’re a Christian.
A Christian, by defnition, is a follower of Christ.
Not someone who simply got baptized or who goes to church from time to time.
Not a fan.
Not someone who just wants the blessings.
But someone who wants all of Him.
Someone who lives like He did.
And He faced opposition and persecution to the point of death.
So as followers, that's what Christians should be willing to face.
These girls were not allowed to eat lunch with me because I was a Christian.
These girls were not allowed to eat lunch with each other because they were encouraging their faiths.
These girls were being denied any form of a faith community.
This is these girls' lives.
Every day.
Jan.
Kate.
Tang.
Kulisara.
America, we have a lot to learn from these girls.
We complain because our parents make us go to church?
These kids would literally do anything to get their parents to go to church.
We get annoyed at the Christian group on campus that won’t stop inviting us to Bible study?
These kids would risk their popularity, reputations, and their very lives just to study the Bible on campus.
We call ourselves Christians because we believe in God and we want His blessings.
But these kids are Christians because they endure hardcore suffering for Him. Every day.
These kids are the epitome of what it means to be Christians.
These kids are not popular.
These kids are not liked.
But these kids do not care.
These kids are free.
These kids are in love.
And these kids have a crazy light.
I can see it in their eyes.
I can hear it in their voices.
And they are going to change this town.
They are going to wreck this town up like crazy for the Lord.
I just know it.
And God,
You know that I love You.
But it's easy to love You when it doesn't cost me much.
Teach me how to love You when it costs me everything.
I want to love You with just a fragment of the faith that these girls have.
I want to worship You, not only when it's acceptable, but when it's totally unacceptable.
I want loving You to cost me something.
And I want to choose to love You regardless.
"But rejoice as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you."
"If you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name."
"So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good."
-1 Peter 4:13-14,16,19
