The Search for Reciprocation

I’ve always been fond of conversion tales. When I was younger, whenever there was a lull during church services, I’d grab a Bible off the back of a pew and search for stories there. There are sixty-six books in the Bible, but I kept reading and rereading just one: the Book of Acts. Jesus ascends to Heaven, leaving behind instructions on spreading His message. There were only a hundred and twenty believers at first. Then three thousand. Then five thousand. My mother, who has a master’s degree in theology, never let me forget that the number listed only included men; that if women and children were included, the actual number of conversions was certainly higher. The most defining conversion comes a few chapters later, where Saul, an intense persecutor of Christians, ends up becoming Christianity’s staunchest advocate. He once was (literally) blind(ed), then he saw.