It was a first date. The two teens had been Facebook
flirting, and talking on their phones now for almost 3 weeks. Tonight was the
big night, the night they would finally meet for that first awkward dinner.
Both curious and slightly nervous, I like to imagine they ran around for hours getting
ready.
She paints her nails, primps herself up, does her makeup,
and even stares intently into the mirror making sure every blemish is covered.
She tries on hundreds of pairs of shoes, and throws many a dresses on the floor
in disgust as they just won’t do.
He on the other hand, showered, shaved, and dressed now
stands in front of a mirror practicing his initial greeting. “Hello”? “Good evening”? “Wow! You look
amazing”? Urgh, none of them seem right. Sweat begins to bead on his
forehead as his nervousness increases at the fear of sounding lame at the first
hello, but the time has come and he heads for the rendezvous.
There at Bobarinos he waits with quiet anxiousness, still
pondering his hello. Suddenly she walks in the door. Their eyes meet and he
walks with swagger toward her, delivering his greeting. “Hey, wow, you look
great.” With a sweet chuckle and a soft “Thanks”, they head for their table.
Thereafter, they find themselves sitting together at a dimly
lit table lost in conversation. A water for her and a coke for him, they place
their orders and laugh at how nervous they were just 15 minutes prior to this
moment. As their dinner arrives, filling their nostrils with an enticing aroma,
she asks,
“Do you pray before you eat?”
He, surprised by the question, responds excited by the
invitation to be true to his faith with a simple,
“Yeah, I normally do. Do you want to pray with me?”
The two teens bow their heads, say a quick “Thanks”, and dig
into their food…
This is not my story. I wish it was, but this is the story
of a 17 year old young man that is part of this church. He is kind of a rough
guy and at first glance you might not think that he is the type of guy to bow
his head in public and say a prayer before dinner. You definitely would not
expect that on a first date. Yet, something in him, some inner thirst to be in
a relationship with the God that so desperately longs to be in a relationship
with him cries out to take the risk and say a prayer.
Don’t miss what really happened here. A teenager, trying to
define who he is in this setting of a first date, in a sense says “I want you
to know who I am, and I am a Christian. Unprovoked by parents or pastors, it is
this kind of sincere faith that reflects the life changing light of Christ. I
am proud to say I know this guy, and so excited to hear his story.
So I guess, the question is…
What is it that people would see in you on a first date?
