Friday, May 1, 2015

Real Talk


Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a people person. Striking up conversation with friends, teachers, my cashier at the grocery store, has never bothered me.  I both blame and thank my dad for this.  We were that family that everyone knew was on the plane, if you know what I mean.  My husband now gets to live with a little of that angst to stir up the silence and be connected.  It's like the desire to know poeple, and if I'm being honest with myself, to be known by people, is in my DNA.  

My amazing husband jokes with me..."someday we're going to run out of things to talk about and all there will be left is the weather."  He knows this is not true and I always laugh because I know it is not true either (If nothing else, we can talk about me...joking).  In a sense though, there is some truth to what he says.  While I love striking up conversation about the weather, favorite TV shows, new restuarants, coffee, crafts, my dog, etc. I long for meaningful conversations.  I long for conversations about Christ, the creator and sustainer of life. Conversation about salvation and purpose.  While talking is second nature to me, talking about Christ is not always easy, and not because I do not want to.  I fear the roll of the eyes, the silence that may follow, or the possibility that I may not get an invite to the next get together if I get "all spiritual."

Truth is, as a Christian, my whole purpose in life is to know Christ and to make Him known.  In fact, glorying God is what I was designed for, and it brings true joy.  Paul emphasizes this fact in Philippians 3:8 "I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord."  In Colossians, Paul says that he will labor with all of his energy to "present everyone perfect in Christ."  In Colossians 2:2 he writes, "My purpose is that they  may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ."  Even when talking to believers, Paul's purpose is to encourage them in their faith and bring others closer to Christ.  Paul had some "Real Talk" in his day, and honestly, he must have truly loved both God and others to have this mindset.

Even non-believers understand the extent of the Christian's purpose.  In an interview, Pen and Teller said, How much do you have to hate somebody to believe everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?"  You won't find me yelling from street corners or picketing with a Jesus sign, but my prayer is that I'll believe this truth so much, that I'll share despte the pushback that I may recieve.  My prayer is that bringing up Christ in conversation will be natural, because Christ is not a section of my life, He is my life.  My prayer is that my friends Christian and not, neighbors, co-workers, heck, even the cashier at the grocery store and other passengers on the plane will know that I am a believer in Christ.  I've got a long way to go friends.

1 comment:

  1. Enjoyed your post! I have the same struggle as you when it comes to bringing up Christ in conversations. One of my favorite bible versus is John 4:8 "...God is love." I feel like if we show others "love" then we are showing them Christ. This can also open up the doors to eventually talk to them about Christ when they are ready.

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