I'm sure that the majority of you who read this (assuming you're all Christians) will have non-Christian friends or family in your lives.
And it hurts, doesn't it?
It hurts to see them living such empty lives - lives spent desperately chasing the things of this world, idols they think will make them happy, that will fill that God-shape hole inside each of them.
We empathise, because we're still humans who struggle against the lure of those same idols.
But God, in His incredible mercy that we can never quite comprehend, saved us. He gives us hope. He gives us meaning in a world that must seem so random and confusing to non-Christians.
We long for the same for them.
It can be hard to explain how they can get that satisfaction that only Christ can give. They think they have all they need. And it can be so distressing to watch days, weeks, months, years slip by and their hearts apparently remain as hard as ever.
BUT...
We still have hope. God hasn't given up on them and neither should we.
Perhaps Jesus looked at Judas during the Last Supper and His heart still desperately wished his disciple - once friend - would repent.
His heart aches for the non-Christians in our lives more than ours do. He made them, after all. He died for them.
And He's still relentlessly pursuing them.
I was reminded of this a while ago. A non-Christian friend of mine was having a job-interview. And she asked me to pray for her, for it to go well.
I was amazed. It was the first time in the five years she'd ever asked me to pray for her.
It gave me hope. Hope that she will realise there is someone who answers prayers. He's not just a slot machine who will give us what we want. He's our Father, He's the Holy God who made and saved us and He's reaching out, inviting our non-Christian friends and family to enter the same relationship we share with Him - one in which is everlasting life and joy.
And I am so thankful for the hope we have that, one day, they will accept that invitation...and be saved.
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