Come and see
By Jessica Brodie
Sometimes, even if you already know the stories and think you understand the pain or the history, it’s important to go, learn and see, to walk for your own in the steps of those who walked before you.
That’s the lesson I am taking from a recent trip I made to visit Penn Center, on historic St. Helena’s Island (see article, Page 1). I’d heard so much of the history about the place, a former longtime school for once-enslaved people, that I assumed I didn’t really “need” to go and see. For me, I simply “wanted” to tag along with the large group of United Women in Faith who made a pilgrimage to the site from churches across South Carolina, there to learn together about the history and impact of that place upon this state and its people.
Yet when I arrived, when I stood among the handcrafted items and gazed upon the artwork, when I walked through the rooms and took in the old photographs and carefully documented accounts, my heart rose as the Spirit stirred within me.
These people walked here. They made and changed history here.
And now the duty rests upon my shoulders to share their stories and their passion, to add my eyes and ears to those who stand in witness to the fruits of their labors.
Just like that, I went from “participant” to fully engaged. All it took was making the time to sign up and actually go, something that can get overlooked in the busy lives we all live.
Sometimes, it’s necessary to give our time, our fully present selves, to really understand the messages we need to hear. That day, I needed to be at Penn Center, to bask in history and hear the stories of men and women who struggled to be the difference they wished to see in the world.
It’s a message Jesus issues to us all, as well. In the Gospel of John, we’re told how two disciples, curious about Jesus and his work, asked Jesus where he was staying.
“Come and see,” Jesus said (John 1:39 NLT).
Andrew was one of those disciples, and he did indeed come and see. He spent the rest of the day with Jesus, then rushed to find his brother, Simon Peter, stating he’d found the Messiah.
Word spread. The next day, Phillip—from the same hometown as Andrew and possibly someone he knew well—was invited to spend time with Jesus. In turn, he invited his friend, Nathanael. When Nathanael questioned him, Phillip echoed the same thing Jesus said.
“Come and see,” he invited Nathanael (John 1:46).
All four of these men came and saw, ultimately becoming disciples of Christ. They could have decided they needed to be out fishing, earning an income for their families. They could have chosen any number of other things instead.
But like Mary, the sister of Lazarus, who sat at Jesus’s feet and learned instead of doing her household chores, these men chose the better way.
In going to Penn Center that Saturday, I also chose the better way.
Consider today: What is God calling you to come and see today? What is nudging for your attention and your witness? Who might need your time and attention?