The Bible is more than a (Romanian) storybook

Mike Shuerman posted this  wonderful story from Jesse Walsh, a teammate on the World Race. It will make your day.

Abi (my Romanian host), Emily, & I were out for an afternoon of ministry. It had been about 45 minutes since we’d left the house & we had still not arrived at our final destination. Em & I did not at all mind our impromptu tour of the Romanian countryside; but by the disgruntled moans echoing from the driver’s seat, it was clear Abi felt differently. As we tentatively turned onto yet another road, it became increasingly evident that we were lost.

There was nothing spectacular about this road – it was rocky, uneven, & like the others it led to an eclectic group of houses made common only by their shedding flakes of decaying paint.  Its ordinary appearance gave us no reason to believe that our encounters here would be any different than the others. As we processed the gravel path, the smiling face of a tanned girl greeted us. Her name was Denisa we were later told. She was shyly situated behind her mother’s legs as they stood in the doorway of their home. Abi was the first to approach. It was only a matter of minutes before he was engaged in conversation with Cornel, the father of Denisa & the man of the household. In their exchange, a beautiful story began to unfold.

8 years earlier, Cornels daughter received a Bible as a birthday present. Given that his daughter was young & could not read, the Bible was seemingly useless & tossed aside. However, through a
series of events, Cornel decided to read this odd birthday gift. Cornel soon became enthralled with the stories. He came alive with each turn of a page. He loved the characters, the places, the lessons, the principles. He loved how he felt when he read it. It was his favorite book.

But that’s all it was to him- just a book. A fictional story, a meaningless collection of words arranged on a page. For 8 years, Cornel read his Bible, day in & day out, & he never knew
its contents were real. He said that he often dreamt of the books reality & had always secretly hoped that it was. Some days he would feel a force so strong that he was almost certain the Bible was a true story; but, he still never KNEW. Cornel’s compulsion   toward God was so powerful that he began to mimic the actions of his favorite character, Jesus. He prayed, just as Jesus did. He prayed for someone to come confirm that this story was true. Although he had wishful thinking, he never actually had faith that this confirmation would ever occur.
[Cornel & family.]

Flash-forward to the present. Abi, Emmie & I are standing in Cornels living room. We are the first Christians he has ever seen. Until this moment, people like us were only a myth, mere characters in a storybook. As Abi spoke about the truth of Christ & His creation, an undeniable energy flowed through the room. Cornel, beaming ear to ear, frantically thumbed through his Bibles’ thinning pages scanning & mumbling in Romanian. His fingers stopped on 1 John 1 & he read loudly “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at & our hands have touched- this we proclaim is the word of life. We write this to make our joy complete.” He looked up, his eyes on fire with passion- like a healed blind man seeing his dark world come to light for the first time. “This is real!!!” he exclaimed. “Now I know that this is real.“

Cornel sighed, seemingly letting out the breath he had been holding for 8 years. He continued on in conversation, his smile never once fading from his lips. He had made it. For years he had read, he had studied, he had hoped. And then we show up- just 2 fun-loving American girls & 1 ex Romanian boxer -lost on a back country gravel road to unknowingly change Cornel & his family’s lives forever. We walked onto that street to smile at children & take some photographs. We had no idea that our presence would confirm the reality of the gospel.

I’ve been told about people groups who have never heard the name of Jesus; but, I, never once in all my life, considered the possibility
that someone would have read the entire Bible not knowing that its contents represent Christianity. It is insane for me to think that a
book which has held such a revered position in my life could be a mere story to others.

Not until the moment that I saw the fire of salvation ignite in Cornel’s eyes did I fully comprehend the meaning of being a disciple. “Go into all the world & make disciples of all the nations.” Those words never held such meaning. God did His part – He created, He sacrificed, He redeemed, He saved. He commissioned the writing of His epic story. But now it is up to us, the chosen ones, to ensure that the
Bible is known as more than just a popular fiction. It is our responsibility to walk down random gravel roads & confirm the gospel’s reality.

My encounter with Cornel was ground-breaking. I will never forget the radiant joy cemented on Cornel’s face the day he discovered his favorite book is real.