When they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and discovered that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized these men had been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13)
I get recharged by spending time among green, brown, fur, and feather. I’ll choose an hour in the woods over electronic entertainment every time. The energy and serenity of the outdoors changes who I am.
The same is true about time with Jesus. The most beautiful personalities I’ve met, like Dawn Christmas, were made that way by spending time in the presence of Jesus. Self-help schemes, and even formal learning, are paint over rust and rot. They don’t reach the core person.
Dawn Christmas was an elderly believer with a dead husband and a deranged son. She had every reason for bitterness, yet, true to her name, she was one of the most festive, Christlike people I ever met.
When Dawn wasn't reading her Bible, she was shuffling down the street toward another gathering of the saints at nearby churches. She had no interests except more time with Jesus and his people.
Dawn taught me that the only agent for real improvement is when I sit close enough to the Master to absorb his ways. With my head on his shoulder, I hear him whisper corrections and congratulations. The more of his direction I can get inside me, the more I effervesce with his beauty.
When a flower is visited by a bee it leaves pollen that changes the bloom into fruit. I need my encounters with Jesus to leave me changed, fruit bearing. Time with him is not about more knowledge or emotional sparkles, it’s about fertilizing my character for new growth.
Prayer: Holy King, may I change until others know I’ve been with you.