“I just don’t see what’s so good about this God,” Jon said to me (Jeff).
Jon’s view of God has changed greatly in the past year!
I met Jon his first week at UC Davis, about a year and a half ago. He had come to our first weekly meeting of the year, and then to our first bible study. He told me that he had gone to church for all 18 years of his life and that his parents were involved in Cru in college. Jon was sure to be a Christian, right?
Nevertheless, we make it a habit of sharing the gospel with all of our incoming freshmen. So, I asked Jon to meet up for about 30 minutes later in the week. As we began our conversation, I asked him the question that I ask every freshman when we meet up for the first time: “So what’s your spiritual background?”
Jon answered, “I guess I would consider myself an agnostic.”
That definitely wasn’t what I expected.
I listened to Jon as he shared his doubts. Among others, he didn’t trust that God is good.
I told Jon that I’m glad he’s in our group, that it’s okay if he has doubts, and that he can ask any questions that he wants. I also asked if we could meet up again.
Jon became a frequent attendee to our bible study, weekly meetings, and social events. He began to make friends and genuinely enjoy himself within our community. He had a safe place to which to belong and explore his questions.
As Jon and I would continue to meet up, however, I would ask the question, “Can you say that God is good?” He could never answer yes wholeheartedly.
I met with Jon once again last month at In-N-Out. It had been awhile since we had hung out. Just by talking with him, I could see that he had grown a ton. I also asked the recurring question, “Can you say that God is good?”
Without hesitation, Jon said, “Yes.”
Praise God! I’m so thankful that God is working in Jon’s life, that he is revealing more of His character to Jon, and that Jon has found a safe community to which to belong.
Thank you for being part of Jon’s spiritual journey and helping to allow students like him to have a safe place to explore their questions.
Prayer Requests
Thank God for revealing more of His character to Jon. Thank Him for the growth in Jon’s life.
Thank God for the impact that he made in the lives of our students attending our annual Winter Conference.
Pray for students to apply to our summer missions opportunities. Application deadlines are coming up soon. These make such an impact both to the places that students go and in the lives of the students themselves.