I MUST TELL JESUS
Kathy Bernard - Publisher

“Cast all your anxieties on Him for He cares about you”  1 Peter 5:7



 

Visiting your doctor’s office for real or imagined pain can be very dehumanizing.  And adding to that discomfort is when an 18 year old “nurse” you have never seen before presumes to call you informally by your given name.  Or worse still calls you “Sweetie”.   This seems to happen often these days as the breakdown of family training becomes lax or nonexistent and people assume a familiarity that is lacking in substance.  One would be sorely reprimanded a few years ago at such usage.  The absence of respect given becomes another “insult to the injury” that brought us to the doctor in the first place.   We are already humbled by bodily examinations and personal inquiries without adding further humiliation.  As Rodney Dangerfield has often put it, “We get no respect.” 

This intimacy many people seem to adopt with strangers is offensive to many of us, particularly coming from those barely out of the diaper stage. Such personal usage belongs to family members or friends only and merits and deserves a “You do not know me, we are not friends therefore I will not allow such presumption”.  But we hold our tongues with service personnel in order not to be subjected to further inconveniences.   Though the familiarities are handed out as a matter of course those who take these liberties cannot be labeled “friends”.

It is a rare find these days to connect with another human being and bond with love and commitment, to find within our path a person who merits the title “good friend”.  Real friends share the same spirit and the same heart, someone in whom you may place your trust without worry.  Real Friends help each other without the other asking.  Real friends remain loyal not because of who we are or what we have. They do not disappear when circumstances change.  They remain steadfast and offer loving support and sympathy. 

Ralph Waldo Emerson says, “The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, not the kindly smile, not the joy of of sharing; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when they discover that someone believes in them and is willing to trust them with a friendship...A real friend is someone who will love us at all times and commit themselves to being there for us.”  As we know, a good friend is hard to find.  We can find bits and pieces of things we need from a host of friends but if we could package all this within one close friend, most of us would be ecstatic. Whether we admit it or not, we all have “catalogued friends” for particular purposes.  Some friends are the “good time” acquaintances and with those we avoid sharing the bad times.  And there are the business friends we share work related problems with, never crossing the line into personal matters.  But sadly many of us do not have that authentic all weather friend who stands in for us at all times; the kind you can talk to about anything and know that they will share in your joys or your sorrows and are not judgmental.. 

There is one true someone Who qualifies and wants to share our friendship.  Someone who has all the attributes we need in our lives.  He comes with no limitations, because He has authority given to Him by God.  He is not deceitful, not a sometime friend, will not gossip or divulge secrets.  His love is endless; so strong that He laid His life on the line to prove it.  It doesn't matter what you are going through, no matter how bad the situation, you can call on Him and He will never forsake you.  He will share in all your delights and happiness, and when the bad times come, will tenderly wipe away all your tears.  He will never give up on you nor leave you alone.  He will never abandon you.  You can always depend on this friend.  Those who know Him can say He has been a one in a million friend.  His name is Jesus Christ.  

Remember when you got your first crush in high school and could not wait to tell your "best friend" about it?  There was a burning need to do so and the news was not told until it was told to that person.  At home, out of the hearing of others, this burning need burst out as soon as that friend was reached by telephone.   The phone line was tied up for hours talking about this phenomenon.  Every look that came your way had to be discussed in depth, every action taken apart, defined, and catalogued with strong opinions related point by point for you were positive no one had ever experienced this miracle before.  How much more valuable is Jesus as our closest friend?

Some seek to gain the favor of those with high status or wealth and perhaps those with earthly power.  If Jesus were just another ordinary earthly friend, there would be little value in knowing Him because He would be subject to human failings like everyone else.  Well, Jesus comes with the greatest credentials of all; He is the Son of the Living God.  But Christ goes beyond the boundaries of status and the limits of human friendship by wanting to share every single thing we experience and want to share, never turning away from the bad.  Having Jesus as our friend, we achieve a unique and powerful friend, a heavenly friend.

Jesus tells us He will come and do all the good things He has promised; He will listen.  Only He understands each facet of our life.  He is with us through all our trials and tribulations.  No matter how bad we hurt, He will stay and help us find answers.  He makes time for us, listens without boredom, offers support and understanding and if we listen in return with our hearts open, He will talk to us. We never have to worry about the hour or the day for He never sleeps and never tires. And He will never have a change of heart and leave us stranded. Nothing and no one can come between us and that friendship for He "is the same yesterday, today, and forever". Hebrews 13:8

Perhaps you already know Him.   Perhaps you have already been introduced to Him and have enjoyed all the wonderful things He has to share with you.  Perhaps you have been going through all the motions of being a Christian by going to Mass, taking the sacraments, doing all the stuff good Christians are supposed to do, but if you do not know Jesus as your friend, in fact the best friend you will ever have you cannot know the miracle of that relationship.  

"I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" Jesus tells us in Hebrews 13:5.  Jesus is waiting to be your very special friend, in fact, your best friend.  Yes, He wants YOU for His friend.  He wants you to know Him personally.  He wants to show His love by spending every moment earning your trust and devotion.  In order for us to know Him and what he is all about, He has sent beforehand and through the Gospels, His impeccable and incredible background.  In a sense He is, through His amazing love for us, offering us a life beyond this earthly one backed by proof of His intentions and His plans for us.

We do not need to worry about how we look or what we have for He really doesn’t care.  He makes it clear He cares only about the content of our hearts and the state of our souls.  Though we bring nothing to this friendship except trust and faith, it is all He requires.  He just wants us to need Him and share our lives with Him. 

How many of us can say that the things that happen to us have not been told until they are told to Jesus?  How many of us, when something wonderful occurs immediately think of running to our “best friend” and pouring out all the details?  How many of us say when things are bad "I must tell Jesus"?  The next time you need an ear to listen with infinite patience or need the expertise of a powerful friend, get in touch with your best friend Jesus.  He is only a prayer away.  In John 15: 13-14 He says, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down His life for His friends.

And so, when blessings are vast and we want to shout out loud for joy or when life gets too big for us to handle, let us remember we have someone in our lives who listens and can change things for us.  He is only waiting for us to say, "I Must Tell Jesus".

"I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" Jesus tells us in Hebrews 13:5

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