X is for...

(OK, people…OK, OK! I know that’s not the proper way to spell extraterrestrial. Tell ya what…YOU come up with a great “X” word to blog about. :D)

According to Wikipedia, the word extraterrestrial “may refer to any object or being beyond (extra-) the planet Earth (terrestrial).” Whoa…wait just a cotton-pickin’ minute, amigo! You mean it doesn’t necessarily have to be little green men and UFOs? ‘Cause I gotta tell ya, it sounds to me like even things of a heavenly nature could be called extraterrestrial…they’re certainly “beyond the planet Earth”!

For years on end—decades and centuries and millennia—we Earthlings have been obsessed with the extraterrestrial…at least, as it applies to other planets and solar systems. Stories abound about abductions, visitations, UFO sightings and other odd and unusual occurrences. The movie industry rakes in untold fortunes selling fictional “what-ifs” about what’s “out there.” Publishers continue to print imaginative scenarios involving aliens on Earth and Earthlings in space. It’s become a ridiculously lucrative gimmick.

Why? Because it’s the unknown, and we humans are nothing if not nosy…oh, excuse me, I meant curious, of course.

We Christians could…if we chose…play on that unbridled human curiosity to turn our “extraterrestrial” experiences into spiritual gold. Think about it: Our very real encounters with angels…visitations from God’s own messengers. Those “God moments” when the Maker of the Universe Himself draws near and shows Himself inarguably real. The wonderful miracles that touch and bless our lives.

In a nutshell: our experiences with the “extraterrestrial.”

Human beings crave a bit of knowing about the unknown. What kind of response might we bring about if we manifested true enthusiasm and single-minded purpose in sharing our brand of other-worldly contact? Enthusiasm breeds enthusiasm. Spend enough time around someone who’s constantly upbeat and bubbly and fun, and you’ll find yourself starting to mirror his or her excitement. It’s like a magnet, drawing a person in whether they want to be drawn or not.

Get excited enough about your extraterrestrial Savior, and your excitement will attach itself to your earthly contacts. Tell your story and make it good—which simply means tell it like it is, because the truth about God is more than breathtaking. That truth, and your enthusiasm about it, will attract people, make them long to know more about your extraterrestrial Savior.

And really, that’s all you need to do. God Himself will do the rest, right from His throne in a place so far beyond this world that even the little green guys on Mars consider it extraterrestrial.

Now that’s something to be excited about!