Tale of Two Erics

This past weekend YARF had a volunteer day with the Arundel Habitat for Humanity where we were able to help a family in need by putting 2 coats of white paint on the walls of two and half floors of townhouse in Brooklyn and at least 1 coat of paint on ourselves. It was a rewarding experience for everyone involved knowing that we were being used by the Lord to meet the needs of those that were in genuine need of our mercy, love and care. While we didn't get to meet the family that would be living in the house, there were new relationships being forged amongst our group and deeper relationships being built amongst friends.

I met two new people in particular, neither of which were there because of YARF, but they were both named Eric. Eric the builder was there in a leadership role with Habitat. As a devout Christian and former home improvement specialist, he had decided that he would like to work for Habitat full time. He had a genuine heart for the people that were going to live in the house and gently directed us in our painting, so that it was done properly. At times this was quite annoying, but you knew the love of Christ was his guiding principle. He prayed for all the volunteers before we started to commit our time to the Lord, and he prayed for our group in particular before we left thanking God for using us to His glory.

Eric the painter was there volunteering with his son for the 5th or 6th time in the past year. He too had a heart for service and was working hard for the family in need right alongside each of us. He took great care to ensure that we weren't missing rooms or parts of the ceiling as the house pulsated with life from the other volunteers. There was one crucial thing that Eric the painter was missing though and that was eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. We spoke about his past and current church involvement, but ultimately he was more swayed by the "historical" record than what he perceived to be the biblical record. His doctrine of Scripture, fallible and man breathed, and his doctrine of Salvation, man centered, all pointed him towards a supposedly historical Jesus figure rather than the actual historical-redemptive Jesus Christ of scripture, time and space.

Eric the painter continued to work throughout the day with a smile on his face, but it was a different smile than the one that adorned the face of Eric the builder. Even as the two men said good bye to me, there was something different in their eyes that I could see. Assurance, faith, love and hope beamed from the builder while the painter looked to be searching for something more. Please pray for the continued ministry of the former, that he would be strengthened by the service of volunteers and that he would bring glory to the Kingdom of God. But most of all pray for the later, that he would be moved by the outpouring of faith around him, that the message of scripture would grip his heart in unimaginable ways and that ultimately he would put his faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation.