I had met Jay earlier that year in the fall when he came to a Bible study on the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater campus. He was a charismatic, funny, frustratingly intelligent young man with many questions. Hard questions. Questions that took time, energy, nuance, and well . . . time. Jay was a Christian sponge, soaking up every drop of truth he could. He hadn’t grown up Christian. His parents were immigrants from India and practiced a nominal, cultural Hinduism. In God’s Word, he found answers to the biggest questions of life—answers that were not to be found in the worldview of his upbringing.
These answers, however, came with a cost. According to Jay, Baptism was off the table—his family would view this as an unforgivable betrayal of their culture and possibly disown him. Even without being baptized, consistent contact with God’s Word confronted Jay with a sobering truth: Jesus will not share worship with another. Jay knew he could no longer worship with his parents, brother, and grandfather. Even going through the motions would be dishonest. So he didn’t. This caused a rift between him and his family, including his grandfather, a man whom Jay deeply loved and respected.
A few months into the school year, Jay stayed after Bible study to ask questions like normal, but this question was different. This question wasn’t about the difference between Catholic and Lutheran concepts of salvation or the Bible’s teaching on the purpose of secular government. With enough theological training, these questions can be answered well. This question, however, was far more difficult:
“Is it really worth it, Pastor?”
How ironic that Jay’s most devastating question was the only one that could be answered with a single word. “Yes.” After some shared tears, a woefully ineloquent stammering from me, and an embrace between brothers, Jay walked back to his dorm that night. And he came back. He learned over time that he was not alone in his pain. Many Christians before him had met searing rejection and opposition of their closest loved ones for the sake of Christ. During months of meetings, questions, and searching, the Holy Spirit was enlightening him. Jay was baptized into the great family of believers.
His story isn’t over. Not by a long shot! He admits he has much to learn and much to unlearn. He continues to pay the price of discipleship. He continues to grow in the Word and often brings his friends along for the ride. He is a Christian: chosen and destined for glory. On the Last Day he will have many painful sacrifices to lay at Jesus’ feet. In that final, precious moment, when the Lord proclaims, “Well done,” Jay will rediscover what he’s known all along.
He really is worth it.
Written by Samuel Schulz, pastor at St. John Lutheran Church in Whitewater, Wis.
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