I had met Jay earlier that year in the fall when he came to a Bible study on the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater campus. He was a charismatic, funny, frustratingly intelligent young man with many questions. Hard questions. Questions that took time, energy, nuance, and well . . . time. Jay was a Christian sponge, soaking up every drop of truth he could. He hadn’t grown up Christian. His parents were immigrants from India and practiced a nominal, cultural Hinduism. In God’s Word, he found answers to the biggest questions of life—answers that were not to be found in the worldview of his upbringing.

These answers, however, came with a cost. According to Jay, Baptism was off the table—his family would view this as an unforgivable betrayal of their culture and possibly disown him. Even without being baptized, consistent contact with God’s Word confronted Jay with a sobering truth: Jesus will not share worship with another. Jay knew he could no longer worship with his parents, brother, and grandfather. Even going through the motions would be dishonest. So he didn’t. This caused a rift between him and his family, including his grandfather, a man whom Jay deeply loved and respected.

A few months into the school year, Jay stayed after Bible study to ask questions like normal, but this question was different. This question wasn’t about the difference between Catholic and Lutheran concepts of salvation or the Bible’s teaching on the purpose of secular government. With enough theological training, these questions can be answered well. This question, however, was far more difficult:

“Is it really worth it, Pastor?”

How ironic that Jay’s most devastating question was the only one that could be answered with a single word. “Yes.” After some shared tears, a woefully ineloquent stammering from me, and an embrace between brothers, Jay walked back to his dorm that night. And he came back. He learned over time that he was not alone in his pain. Many Christians before him had met searing rejection and opposition of their closest loved ones for the sake of Christ. During months of meetings, questions, and searching, the Holy Spirit was enlightening him. Jay was baptized into the great family of believers.

His story isn’t over. Not by a long shot! He admits he has much to learn and much to unlearn. He continues to pay the price of discipleship. He continues to grow in the Word and often brings his friends along for the ride. He is a Christian: chosen and destined for glory. On the Last Day he will have many painful sacrifices to lay at Jesus’ feet. In that final, precious moment, when the Lord proclaims, “Well done,” Jay will rediscover what he’s known all along.

He really is worth it.

Written by Samuel Schulz, pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Whitewater, Wis.

No matter where Corrina lived, she always felt caught between two worlds. The daughter of a US serviceman and a German mother, she never quite fit in—not in Germany, not in America, not in school, not even in her church. The church she grew up in focused more on what people must do rather than on what Christ has already done for us. Corrina knew her sins and because of them, she never felt she truly belonged. She longed for a place she could call home.

Years later, Corrina moved to Dallas, Texas, to care for her aging mother. Because of her own health needs, she moved into an assisted living complex, the same one where a member of our congregation lived.

I first met Corrina on a follow-up visit after she attended our Saturday evening worship, invited by that member. I still remember her words: “Pastor, it means so much for you to take the time to visit me. I felt so loved at your church.” At the time, I didn’t realize the weight of her words, but after hearing her story I understood what she was really saying: “I finally know where I belong.”

What made her say that after a lifetime of feeling out of place? Jesus did. Jesus’ full and free forgiveness gave peace to her soul. Where he is, she wants to be.

Corrina’s health often makes it difficult to attend worship, but she refuses to let it stop her. A few months ago, after she fractured a bone in her neck, I told her it was okay to rest and that I would come visit. Her answer was immediate: “If I let this become an excuse to miss church, then anything can be an excuse.” Sure enough, she was there the next day. She wanted to be where she belonged—listening to her Savior’s voice.

Corrina continues to face health challenges, but nothing can rob her of the peace she has in Christ. After a difficult diagnosis, she told me, “I can’t wait to see the room Jesus has prepared for me with my name on it.” She knows where she truly belongs—at her Savior’s side forever.

By the power of the Holy Spirit, Corrina has learned where she belongs: in the family of God here on earth and eternally with him in heaven. Who in your life is still searching for that place? A simple invitation to worship may be the way God shows that person, “You belong with me.”

Written by Pastor Ben Schone, home missionary at Calvary Lutheran Church in Dallas, Texas.