Frozen. It’s not just the name of a new movie about sisterly love…it’s also that word which describes how we often respond to uncomfortable situations. I’m going to put myself out there (hoping I’m not the only one) but one of the spaces where I most often experience frozenness (is that even a word) is in sharing my faith.
You know, in a line at the grocery store and the person behind you points over to the magazine rack and comments on some headline related to Christianity or you have a neighbor or classmate ask about how you handled a difficult situation. The door is opened for you and you know what you want to say or where you want to take the conversation, but you just can’t get your tongue to go there.
It’s frozen.
Sure, you can get it to talk about the weather or your favorite sports team or your first-cousin-once-removed’s new puppy…but Jesus?
Nope. No way. Revolt of the tongue. Not going there.
I’m not sure if it is fear of what they will think or not having the right words or just deciding ahead of time that they really don’t want to hear the world’s best news that I’d share with them. The truth is, as Christians we are Christ’s ambassadors, given the message of reconciliation to share with the world. Who wouldn’t want to know the Gospel? Who wouldn’t want to know that their past mistakes don’t have to be held against them? What a gift it is to be chosen by God as His messengers! So, if we’re all in the same boat, now what?
Here are a few thoughts on things that have helped me move beyond the frozen winter of silence and into a season of sharing.
1) Know the Gospel
2) Pray
3) Do it!
My tongue still gets frozen, but the more times I step through the door and start the conversation, the more my tongue thaws and the easier it is for this important message to flow through me.
Early in college, I attended BeachReach, which was one of those perfect opportunities for pushing me to grow in this area and begin the process of letting God grow me in this area…and over 15 years later, God is still using this ministry in the lives of college students to help them do the same. Maybe you’ll join us this year or maybe God will use something else to defrost your tongue. I’m praying this will be a generation that carries the call to be Christ’s Ambassadors across the hall and around the world!
