I recently experienced something that deeply saddened me.

Two years ago, we met Kylie at a Lunar New Year celebration. She quickly became an important part of our outreach to international students. Every week, she helped us think of meaningful questions to engage others in conversations that would give us the opportunity to talk about faith. Kylie was also fantastic at organizing social events—she’d plan the parties, prepare meals, and make sure everyone felt welcome.

Kylie joined us for an Alpha course and even attended a church service with a friend of ours. After the service, I was told she had prayed to receive Christ. So, it was quite a shock when she returned the Bible I had given her. She explained that she had started exploring Buddhism and had been captivated by a 52-part video series on the life of Buddha. She was drawn to what she learned and felt a strong connection to it.

At first, I didn’t know how to respond. I felt hurt—hurt that she was walking away from Jesus and hurt because I cared deeply for her. But rather than let my emotions take over, I decided to engage with her where she was. I started watching the Buddha video series myself to understand what she was experiencing. It is a well-made drama, though a bit slow in parts, but it is helping me see what was attracting her.

Kylie stopped coming to our Bible studies, but she still comes over to our house regularly. In fact, this week she held her birthday party at our home. During the party, I mentioned that I had watched some of the series on Buddha and shared my thoughts on what I saw. We discussed how Buddha was motivated by a desire to understand and eliminate suffering. I acknowledged a key difference between Buddhism and Christianity: while Buddha sought to escape suffering, Christianity teaches that God offers love—even in the midst of pain. She countered that even love brings suffering, which led me to reflect more on our conversation.

So, how do I respond to Kylie moving away from Jesus? I’ve decided to love her unconditionally, continue praying for her, and take every opportunity to share the Gospel—when the time is right.

Near the end of the party, Kylie made an interesting comment. She said, "Buddha is a lot like Jesus." She even mentioned that in one of the videos, Buddha is portrayed as a divine figure who returns to earth. I chose not to contradict her at that moment, feeling that a birthday party wasn’t the best place for a theological debate. However, I did share with the other Christians at the party that my strategy is to make sure Kylie feels safe to talk openly about her beliefs.

As I think about my own spiritual journey, I remember how my parents responded when I decided to follow a different path. When I was in university, I became interested in Hinduism, and though my parents didn’t agree, they didn’t argue with me. Instead, they patiently waited and prayed, trusting that God would bring me back. Eventually, I became a follower of Jesus, and I’ve never looked back.

I believe the best way I can respond to Kylie is to give her that same space, just as my parents did for me. I will keep loving her, praying for her, and trusting that God’s love will reach her heart in His time.

Let's pray: 

"Lord Jesus, how I wish that everyone would come to faith in you.  It hurts when people turn their back on You. May we continue to love those who are searching and pray for those who wander, trusting that YOU will never stop pursuing them.

Have a great week interacting with the people around you.