THE BEADED BRACELET
We had been talking for about 30 minutes before I noticed it. My friend was wearing a beaded bracelet that, at first thought, I assumed her son had made. I asked her if the bracelet was new, and I reached out to touch it. Giving it a closer look, I realized that it wasn’t just a beaded bracelet—but a beaded bracelet made with very significant colors to those of us who believe in Jesus.
As a young child my grandmother taught me how to share the gospel using the Wordless Book. Black, red, white, green, and gold—representations of our life before and after meeting Jesus. My friend’s bracelet also had purple and blue, which I hadn’t seen before, but it was clear that what she was wearing was a Wordless Book bracelet.
Photo Credit: iStock.com/SorinVidis
She went on to say she received it for free while on a trip to a monastery to make wishes at the top of a hill. At this point, I just knew I had to share the special meaning of what she was wearing! Even though I have shared with this friend before what I believe as a follower of Christ, this was yet another chance to share the gospel with her. For many Muslim-background believers of Jesus, it takes them many times hearing the gospel message before believing in Jesus.
After sharing the bracelet’s Christian meaning, I asked my friend if she would continue to wear the bracelet since she now knew its meaning. She laughed and said, “Of course I’ll wear it. I have my own meanings for the colors.” I could have felt defeated, knowing that once again she has rejected Christ, but instead I counted it as just one of the many, many times she will need to hear the gospel until the day Jesus softens her heart and she accepts him.
Pray that the Holy Spirit would remind her of Jesus and his sacrifice and his love for her each time she wears the bracelet.
“. . . for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow,
a light has shined.” –Matthew 4:16b NLT