Finding and Following Jesus Together

I come from an enormous family. So huge, in fact, that my husband still needs me to give him a rundown of my extended family before we arrive at an event, and we’ve been married for thirteen years.

I have approximately two thousand cousins who are all great, and I love them dearly. My cousin Brooke, though—she was my first best friend. We were born four months apart, and shared every holiday and birthday with one another until I moved out of state. We spent our childhood sharing secrets and candy from our Christmas stockings. Growing up with her has been the most fun.

One of the great traditions Brooke and I have shared is our family’s annual Easter egg hunt. All of us, dressed in our pastel dresses and bonnets, would gather together in my grandparents’ backyard and wait for somebody to yell, “Go!” Then we’d scatter, heading for the eggs we could clearly see and hoping to find a few of the well-hidden ones as we went along.

Don’t let the bonnets fool you. Every person born into my family has an extremely competitive nature. Any event from backyard hoops to croquet involves some level of trash talk—even the Easter egg hunts. Nothing like the most holy day of the year to work on your insult game, am I right?

I remember being five or six and running through my Papa’s perfectly manicured grass looking for eggs when I happened to pass Brooke, who was obviously discouraged.

“I can’t find them very fast,” she whispered, fuming. She was furious because while the competitive gene did not skip her, the one that provides clear eyesight did. Brooke is legally blind. And being unable to see clearly makes it tough for a kindergartener to locate Easter eggs.

As much as I wanted the eggs for myself, I wanted Brooke to have some even more. So we clasped hands and hunted together. I don’t remember if we had a system or if we split the eggs when we finished; we just did the thing together. We weren’t the fastest hunters, nor did we have the highest egg count, but we were a team.

That Easter egg hunt represented something more than just helping my cousin (who, upon reflection, probably didn’t want or need my help, but I was a pushy child. I did not recover from that character trait.).  It showed me I was being led by her, although I didn’t realize it. Brooke may not have been able to see clearly with her eyes, but her heart has always seen Jesus. She is one of the people who helped me see him too.

Like Brooke had a hard time seeing the eggs, I had a hard time seeing Jesus. He was in front of me, but he was a little blurry, and I couldn’t quite pick him out. Thankfully, I had someone to take me by the hand and guide me—Brooke.

Brooke was one of my early hand-holders, and there have been others along the way: the friend who invited me to church when I was in middle school, friends who simply went to church and told me about it, my uncle Brad (Brooke’s dad), who started a church in my hometown. At some point, each of these people held my hand and led me a little closer to Christ.

While following Jesus is a personal journey, it isn’t meant to be made alone. God gave us the Holy Spirit, but he also gave us community.

We’re supposed to do this Jesus thing together.

Proverbs 27:17 reminds us, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another” (NIV). God uses us to guide and support one another, and to allow ourselves to be led when we can’t quite see him. Having someone to share doubts, fears, and questions with is a crucial part of growing in faith. Being able to share our struggles and unburden our hearts to a trusted friend is so important.

When I look back at those two little girls holding hands, poking around in the grass, I think of being a new Christ follower: seeking and hoping to find just one little treasure to hold on to. If that’s you today, please don’t go it alone. Ask questions, meet with a trusted member of your church, plan a Starbucks date with a friend who knows Jesus. Sometimes we get to know Jesus best when we hear how he has worked in the lives of others. This is why community is so important.

I challenge you to take someone’s hand today, whether you’re the one struggling to see or you’re the one who notices a friend who could use a teammate. Let’s follow Jesus together. One egg at a time.

Becky Yurisich is a full-time Army wife and mom, and an occasional teacher of first graders. She is an unapologetic follower of Jesus and the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. Becky holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from UNC, and dreams of writing a book. She blogs at beckyyurisich.com.