Gently Planting Jesus in a Nonbeliever’s Heart
So I have a sweet friend who does not yet believe that Jesus is THE WAY, as John 14:6 proclaims, but she does believe in and cherish some of the principles and values Jesus embodied. She has a tender heart that thinks the best of people more than almost anybody else I know. She yearns for peace, unity and love amongst her friends and family, in her community and in the world at large. I’ve traveled a lot with this friend through the years, and I’ve witnessed her eyes and countenance brighten when we find ourselves in cities with diverse populations that seem to be displaying togetherness and harmony in the midst of differences.
This past summer, as we wandered through the streets of a Scandinavian city, her familiar thoughts about the beauty of diversity were on her mind. She looked around, noticing people of many different races, ethnicities and cultures. And in that moment, she was witnessing a collection of people who, despite their differences, seemed to be woven together in a diverse fabric of unity, peace and joy. She said to me something to the effect of, I just want to live in a place where there are all different kinds of people who live together without any separation or division. A place filled with people of different backgrounds, customs, languages and cultures, where everybody fully meshes and blends together. I thought about pointing out that a diverse place with that kind of perfect, pure camaraderie and cohesiveness would be difficult to find, considering the imperfections of human nature. But instead, I smiled and said, Yeah, that would be an incredible place.
It dawned on me a day or two later that a place like the one my nonbeliever friend longs for does exist—in eternity with Jesus. Immediately, the words of Ecclesiastes 3 came to mind.
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. -Ecclesiastes 3:11
He has set eternity in the human heart! As I pondered these words, I felt encouraged. For those of us who have committed our lives to Christ, this can mean that an eternal perspective gets to dictate our decisions, mindsets, interactions and more. What a comfort and joy that is! When a stressful situation arises at work, I can face it knowing that it’s just a tiny bump in the journey as I live each day getting closer and closer to the eternal restoration of God’s perfect kingdom. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter if my coworker said something mean about me, if I got a score lower than I thought I deserved on my evaluation, or if my presentation doesn’t go as well as I’d hoped. I will continue to do my very best to honor and glorify God each day, striving to operate with an excellent spirit. But ultimately, when life gets sticky, I can look at my circumstances through an eternal lens that makes any earthly problem look a lot more minor and inconsequential.
But from another angle… He has set eternity in the human heart! Even the human heart that doesn’t yet believe in His sovereignty and power. We all have people in our lives who haven’t accepted Jesus as their Savior, but how wonderful to know that deep down in their hearts, even they have a yearning for the eternal reality that only Jesus can offer. Think about it—do you know anybody who hopes for chaos and division? I doubt it! I believe that just like my friend, everybody, each in her own way, is searching for peace, harmony, togetherness and accord. And with the words of Ecclesiastes in mind, a believer’s Kingdom mindset can interpret that as meaning that everybody is ultimately searching for Jesus and the eternal perfection that only He can offer.
Obviously anyone who hasn’t come to saving faith has not yet realized that one of their heart’s deepest desires can only be fulfilled in surrender to the King of Kings. Perhaps God can use you, with this insight, to present Him to a nonbeliever from a different angle. With Ecclesiastes 3 in mind, is there a way you can leverage this natural human longing? Have you been searching for a new way to talk to a loved one about God? This might be an option! It could be as simple and “nonthreatening” as something like:
I know how much you value peace and unity. Heaven will be bursting with the most perfect peace and unity we could ever imagine. I can’t wait for that!
Or:
Ya know how you always feel like there’s some kind of drama going on in your life? There will be no drama in eternity with Jesus. That will be such a relief.
Or:
These political campaign seasons are brutal. When Jesus comes back, we won’t have to worry about politics and elections anymore! Thank goodness.
And just by making a “casual” comment like this, you’re gently planting a seed. You’re helping that person realize that even though she may not be on the same page as Jesus yet, she longs for something that only He can perfectly offer. You’re prayerfully helping her inch closer to knowing God—even if she might not realize it at the time. God has set eternity in the human heart! What an exciting, promising and hopeful longing to live with every day. I am so grateful!