Casandra Martin

Well, she’s done it again. Another one of my sons has succumbed to the charm of the 101-year-old beauty that graces our church family.

We had changed pews. A temporary necessity for one week, but it is amazing how changing where you sit can change your perspective. We require our teenagers to sit in front of us during worship. They can sit anywhere they want, as long as they sit in front of us. We sit on the fourth row.

This week, our change in position opened up a whole new realm of possibilities for our son. He looked at the auditorium with wide-eyed wonder, scouting out his new freedom. Where would he sit?

We lost track of him in the few minutes before services began. The singing started, and as we settled into our pew, we looked around the auditorium curious as to where our son had decided to invest his expanded choice of where to worship. We searched for the top of his head among the groups of young people, cute girls, and family friends. We couldn’t find him.

Finally, we spotted him. Beautiful white curls and short dark hair framed the picture as two hearts spanned by almost ninety years joined together in praise. Sitting there watching them filled my heart with both humility and gratitude. My son’s choice to align himself with someone who so clearly loves Jesus reminds me to be deliberate about surrounding myself with people who will point me to Him. His companion’s open-hearted hospitality teaches me about the tremendous power of welcoming someone to walk alongside you as you seek the face of God. It was a powerful sermon spoken in silence as they worshipped together.

My Jesus Resolution today is to soak in their sermon. My son is captivated by the heart of someone who vividly looks like Jesus. Too many times, my eyes settle on the cheap dazzles of the world. He reminds me that true beauty is best discovered in someone with a worn Bible and a welcoming smile. Our friend opens her heart to anyone with a hunger for Jesus, even if it means changing her routine. Too often, I want to choose what is convenient or comfortable. Her willingness to share her heart with a teenager takes my breath away.