During the summers between my college years, I ministered at the Ichthus Coffee House in Sandusky, Ohio. A local pastor began this outreach to minister to the students working at Cedar Point who spent many nights at the bars downtown.
Susan (not her real name) was a young lady who came to the coffee house nearly every night. I talked with her week after week as she asked questions about Christianity and why we were doing what we were doing. Near the end of the summer, she looked across the table at me one evening and asked, “Bur, do you love me as one person loves another person, or do you love me as a missionary loves a mission field?”
Yikes!
Sometimes we view people not as “people” but as “people who need Jesus.” We dare not love people with an ulterior motive. People are worthy of our love regardless of whether they respond to Jesus.
We must never use people. We must never befriend someone just so we can share Jesus with him or her. Friends deserve our complete devotion without that friendship being based on some hidden agenda. Of course, we hope they come to know the Jesus we have come to know.
Our challenge is to balance the tension between friendship and sharing. Once the friendship is proven to be based on love and acceptance, we can share Jesus’ love as opportunities arise.