MAY 8. 2018

TWINS FROM A DIFFERENT AGE

I got up early today. So much work to squeeze in.

I forgot what day it was.

A notification popped up on Facebook ; a memory from two years ago.

May 8.

MAY 8, 2018 was today.

My 40th birthday.

(Not that one. That’s in November. The 15th. Just so you know. I’ve had 66 of those.)

But, today was the 40th anniversary of the day everything began to change for me.

As if that wasn’t enough of a reminder, as I rushed off to work, I decided to listen to the audible version of my through the Bible in a year program.

Today’s reading was about when Elijah the prophet had just finished whuppin 450 prophets of Ba’al all by himself, then Queen Jezebel threatened him and he got scared and went into hiding.

There is a whole lot more to that story, but that is not what I am trying to tell you about.

You see, the new testament reading for the day was John 3.

That is the chapter of the Bible that I read 40 years ago the day before the big change.

I read the chapter again, today.

Twice.

Turns out, Nicodemus and I had a lot in common.

He had grown up studying and memorizing and teaching the Word of God.

He tried really, really hard to always keep the law.

He wanted to know how he could get into God’s kingdom.

He had been a teacher to Israel for a long time.

I had been a high school Sunday School teacher for a long time.

Well, this was my second week.

Anyway, I’m sure you see the similarities.

But the thing was, he asked Jesus a question. Jesus answered it.

Nicodemus said, “Huh?”

I read the exchange 40 years ago, and I said, “Huh?” (Just like Nicodemus.)

But, those words were the fire that ignited my soul, changed my heart, made me begin to love the God that I had only believed existed before.

Everything changed.

I bet it did for Nicodemus, too.