Love does the work
With all the bad press and some of it justified people are weary of Bible thumpers or whatever people are calling christians now. My logic is that people don't care about what I have to say about Jesus if they don't know that I really do care about them and my words can be trusted. I understand people to be this way because I have seen it and I am kind of like that. Drive-by advice from people who probably wouldn't shed a tear if I died today isn't appealing to me at all, neither is advice from the self-important or "high and mighty". On the other hand I don't want someone guiding me who justifies everything right or wrong to be accepting. I suppose there are several factors involved in my evangelical approach including how I look, what I say, my body language, but ultimately all of these factors are subjective to the viewer and listener that I am engaging.
The only thing that I can do to preface my witness is to live in a loving and innocent way, to try to do no harm to anyone. I know this sounds sad, but it is difficult for me because my words can be sharp and I can sometimes be intense. My best defense is to press my lips together and pray. When I was younger it was my fear of rejection that spawned my silence, but since I was rejected anyway that fear turned into righteous indignation which resulted in me pulling away from people who "wouldn't understand me anyway." I would gravitate to those who seemed alone or rejected by the masses and try to let them know that I saw them and I cared. I even went so far as to tell them why I cared (they were created by God), but when it came to sharing the gospel I felt like a failure. I felt like I had nothing that they wanted. I still feel that way sometimes, but I suppose that can't be right. I am on this earth because I have what someone else needs. If me being here was just about me then I should have been shot up to heaven as soon as I accepted Jesus as my Lord. I am still here and the only reason is because someone needs my life story to continue.
So what is my part in people accepting Jesus as their Lord and savior? Authenticity. I am not a fake person although I have a certain inviting professionalism about me that doesn't always portray what is happening inside of me. I need that part of myself to help me to move forward when I feel like giving up. What I mean by authenticity is really embracing my life with Christ and taking note of what the love of Christ is doing for me and in me. It's living my faith journey thankfully and allowing people to see God in my life. I don't in any way try to hide my christianity. I keep a Bible in my purse that I read, I don't listen to profane music or speak profanity, and I am a good citizen. In addition to that people should see me and know that I am divinely loved and well cared for, but because I haven't completely gotten the concept it affects my witness. I can tell people all day how much God loves them with passion and sincereity, but if they don't see how God loves me and is awesome in my life it hurts my credibility. I need to embrace God's love and provision for me, and as I allow God's love for me to overtake me that love will become attractive. Love does the work, and when people are ready to receive Christ it won't matter how clumsy I am with my witness only that they saw the love of Christ in my life.
The only thing that I can do to preface my witness is to live in a loving and innocent way, to try to do no harm to anyone. I know this sounds sad, but it is difficult for me because my words can be sharp and I can sometimes be intense. My best defense is to press my lips together and pray. When I was younger it was my fear of rejection that spawned my silence, but since I was rejected anyway that fear turned into righteous indignation which resulted in me pulling away from people who "wouldn't understand me anyway." I would gravitate to those who seemed alone or rejected by the masses and try to let them know that I saw them and I cared. I even went so far as to tell them why I cared (they were created by God), but when it came to sharing the gospel I felt like a failure. I felt like I had nothing that they wanted. I still feel that way sometimes, but I suppose that can't be right. I am on this earth because I have what someone else needs. If me being here was just about me then I should have been shot up to heaven as soon as I accepted Jesus as my Lord. I am still here and the only reason is because someone needs my life story to continue.
So what is my part in people accepting Jesus as their Lord and savior? Authenticity. I am not a fake person although I have a certain inviting professionalism about me that doesn't always portray what is happening inside of me. I need that part of myself to help me to move forward when I feel like giving up. What I mean by authenticity is really embracing my life with Christ and taking note of what the love of Christ is doing for me and in me. It's living my faith journey thankfully and allowing people to see God in my life. I don't in any way try to hide my christianity. I keep a Bible in my purse that I read, I don't listen to profane music or speak profanity, and I am a good citizen. In addition to that people should see me and know that I am divinely loved and well cared for, but because I haven't completely gotten the concept it affects my witness. I can tell people all day how much God loves them with passion and sincereity, but if they don't see how God loves me and is awesome in my life it hurts my credibility. I need to embrace God's love and provision for me, and as I allow God's love for me to overtake me that love will become attractive. Love does the work, and when people are ready to receive Christ it won't matter how clumsy I am with my witness only that they saw the love of Christ in my life.
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