The young woman stood by my desk. She was one of the members of my small team at the university. She said, “At class at church last night, the instructor said that it is people who bring Christ to people. I told him about you. Was that okay?”

That happened almost 40 years ago. I was not then, and am not now, a clergy member, evangelist or missionary. That’s the point. One doesn’t need an official title to make a difference. Frankly, I don’t know what I did for her to make the statement other than to answer her questions about faith.

The interaction led me to create a presentation titled, “We Are All Christopher,” a name that means Christ-bearer. It was based on the legend of St. Christopher who was to have carried the child Jesus across a river to the other side, despite the forces of the water and the sense that the weight of the child increased while crossing. Carrying Christ to others can be difficult sometimes because of the conditions of society, but it can also happen unexpectedly in the simple, “normal” activities in life.

There are times when I remember her statement and the presentation that it inspired, and I ask myself “Are you still carrying Christ to others?” I think it is a question for any believer to ask of themselves.