There Must Be Something More

47 | Uniquely

I stayed in the corner of the club room while Meredith and Samuel hosted a little Pictionary game with Trey Mullins, our Infielder, drawing the picture. Everyone all barked their guesses as he moved along with every stroke of the pencil. The guys from the baseball team purposely guessed wrong so he'd keep sketching some more--and Trey was not the best artist in school.

I saw Calum and Amanda watching Trey in front of the crowd as well. I stayed hidden and out of sight; hoping we wouldn't have to meet eyes or would have to talk. And then I wondered if a feeling like that was good at all.

"They're having fun," Meredith fell in alongside me. She was nibbling on a strawberry cupcake. The icing had smeared on the top of her lip, which looked like a creamy mustache. I stifled a laugh.

I told her about it and she blushed. She quickly pulled out a napkin from the food table and wiped it hastily. Then she ate her cupcake whole.

"Calum and Amanda are here," I slipped out, looking over the heads that filled the crowd.

Meredith grinned, obviously unfazed. "Really? They are? That's good news!"

I frowned. "I hate to break it to you, but it might not be."

She furrowed her eyebrows. "And why is that?"

I rolled my eyes. "You know about our fight. It was all about me and my faith. They hate it. Why would they come here, so suddenly, without telling me? I mean, if they really were sincere about God, they'd be thrilled to let me know, right? They don't seem to be."

Meredith nodded. "You could be right. But whatever their reasons are, it's an opportunity for them to hear the Word."

I took a deep breath and smiled. "I know that. I'm glad."

"And they can't just be all happy and tell you that they're coming, right?" she added. "I mean, if I was them, being all rejecting and hateful about God, and if I saw a lot of people come here that involves my newly believer best friend, I'd be curious what this was all about too. Just curious yet, though. And it's not enough to tell you yet. They'd still have their pride. They might be curious, but they could also want that curiosity to end up into proving you wrong."

"So you mean to say they might be here because they're curious?"

She nodded again. 

"Well, that's good news," I said. I looked over the crowd again and I saw Calum and Amanda laughing with the other people as Trey presented his sketch as a rabbit--and it didn't look anything like a rabbit. The people howled with laughter. Samuel was chortling, slapping his knees in delight.

"When are you going to evangelize them?" I asked over the roar of the crowd as the most popular guy in the baseball team, Elijah McCanyon, stepped up front to do the sketching next. Samuel walked over to me and Meredith.

"After the games and snacks," Meredith said. She covered her ears when loud laughter rang out as Elijah had drawn really badly of a cat. Some of the girls swooned, but the guys all howled in crack-up. 

"Are you sure this is all right?" Samuel asked. "They're getting out of control."

"We'll just have to make sure they don't do anything inappropriate," Meredith said, looking worried herself. 

"I don't see at all why we have to let them play games and all," I said. "Our club isn't about games."

"They definitely won't come if we tell them right away this is about God," Meredith said.

"But that's what you do with people," I said. "You talk to them so straightforwardly about God. That's how you got me curious."

Meredith's eyes were wide. She looked at me. "Not all the time. I don't use the same strategies with people to draw them closer to God. God wants His approach to people differently, that's because He doesn't love us fairly--He loves us uniquely. When you say equally, it means it can be measured. God's love cannot be measured--and it definitely can't be compared to someone else's. That's one of the reasons why God is personal--because He wants us to know He doesn't just love us all like a pack; He loves us individually, differently. It's not a contest. We're not competing against anyone. We are His and He is ours uniquely. That's how beautiful and immeasurable God's love is. We can't contain it, can't comprehend it. I think I'll spend the rest of my life finding that out and I'm so fine with that."

Even with the roar of the crowd around us, I was moved to tears. Who am I for God to love? I could never understand.

"That's beautiful," Samuel finally said. "I want to stand beside you when you evangelize them."

"Me too," I said. 

After a few more games--Pin The Tail On The Donkey, Charades, and Musical Chairs--we instructed the newcomers to take a five minute snack break. They all cheered happily and filed in a line to get the cupcakes and cookies as Samuel and I handed them out.

Standing behind the food table, I saw Amanda and Calum file in my line. My heart banged. What do they want from me?

When it was finally Amanda's turn, I nonchalantly handed her a cupcake and cookie, but she didn't take them.

I looked at her smoothly. "If you're not hungry, you can always come back later--"

"I have to admit, Charlie," she said, her eyes didn't give any hints. "This club is pretty awesome. I guess being religious is not that bad."

I stared at her. Was she serious?

I was speechless. I must have stared at her like a dumb person. I knew I should've said something, but I wasn't expecting it. I just gave her a small smile.

She smiled too, sheepishly. Then she took the cupcake and cookie and moved on with the others sitting by the corners and chatting away. When I got to Calum, he just smiled, received the food, and trotted over to Amanda.

Was this a good start?

The rest of the guys from the baseball team all congratulated me for the good job on the cupcakes. I couldn't have blushed redder than that. I vowed I will never bake again--unless needed so. 

Mostly, though, I was overjoyed. I had not expected at all that the club meeting would be this successful. All that needed to happen was the evangelizing. And that was going to take place in a few minutes. I wondered if Meredith was nervous at all. I would be. I'm just glad it wasn't me out there. Yet.

I envisioned all these people getting saved and learning more about God with us. I imagined a whole new big family of believers.

And then a start in the crowd. They all looked up from their plates to see Meredith walk in the center of the room, her fingers laced together to her chest.

"Although we're going to have the food and games when you come and join, Grace Club isn't all about that. Actually, right now, I'm going to tell you something about what this club is all about. And I suggest it's best to listen, or you might just miss the opportunity of a lifetime."