Co-Laboring With JesusSample

As a child, Rosalind Picard was extremely bright. Self-reliant and confident, she told herself that she was too smart to believe in God. By the time she was a teenager, she had declared herself an atheist. One day, a doctor whom she respected encouraged her to read the bible—specifically, the book of Proverbs. She was surprised that a man of his obvious intelligence believed the bible, but she reluctantly agreed. What she discovered surprised her. “I expected to find phony miracles, made-up creatures, and assorted gobbledygook. To my surprise, Proverbs was full of wisdom. I had to pause while reading and think.” So intrigued was she that after reading Proverbs she decided to read a modern translation of the entire bible. “I felt this strange sense of being spoken to,” she recalls. “It was disturbing yet oddly attractive. I began wondering whether there really might be a God.”  

Later, while in college, Rosalind developed a friendship with a fellow student who invited her to church. She was astonished because her friend was a popular athlete and brilliant student. He was an obvious contradiction to her belief that only those who lack intelligence believe in God. Influenced by her friend, Rosalind began to attend church and Sunday school regularly, seeking answers to questions that had begun to swirl in her mind. One Sunday she responded to the altar call and gave her life to Christ. Reflecting on that decision, she noted that she had always believed that her life was fine the way it was. However, after accepting Jesus as her Lord, her life, “worked exponentially better…[because she could now] count on God’s guidance, comfort, and protection,” she said, “even when things went wrong.” 

To become a co-laborer with Jesus, you must first acknowledge, as Rosalind did, that Jesus is who he says he is. You must acknowledge your need to repent and to seek his forgiveness, and accept him as Savior, Redeemer, and Lord. Then, as you begin the amazing journey through introspection, belief, repentance, surrender, and rebirth you will become increasingly equipped to become Jesus’s dependent and dependable co-laborer. Because your heart has been “fixed” by the Master Carpenter, as Rosalind’s was, you will clearly see and understand the necessity of becoming Jesus’s hands extended to a broken world. And, as you grow through bible reading, prayer, worship, and fellowship with other Christ-followers, you will hear from Jesus and begin to understand where and how he wants you to co-labor with him.  

Rosalind Picard's story adapted from:  Picard, Rosalind, “An MIT Professor Meets the Author of All Knowledge,” Christianity Today, March 15, 2019