I am sitting on a concrete block parallel to an amazing sister in Christ of ours named Lyndsay. She is humble and gentle yet Christ shines so boldly in and through her. She has brought me so much encouragement and has taught me so much this past 4 months. Lyndsay, thank you for being bold for Christ!
As I sit, I began by reading 2 Timothy Chapter 1 and have tears in my eyes.
Verses 8 & 9 “So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News. For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time – to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.”
As I read this I think back to the countless times I have passed by and walked away from people that the Holy Spirit had specifically told me to stop and talk to. Wait! What? But aren’t you on a mission trip right now? Aren’t you supposed to be like a super Christian who wears funny clothes that never matches and rarely showers? FALSE!!! I know crazy right. But I digress … So yes sometimes I would rather ignore God and choose my own path because I am afraid of rejection in the eyes of strangers. People I have never met. What would they think of me if I stopped, asked them how they were doing? And then before departing from them, genuinely being concerned for their life and salvation, ask if they know Jesus Christ? If they had heard the Good News of His resurrection? That He actually is alive! That He loves them so much that He came as a sacrifice so that all our past, present, and future sins could be forgiven. That He wants to partake in a friendship with them. Sharing with them of His grace and never ending love.
“For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.” Romans 5:10-11
So why??
Why do I choose to ignore God and ignore all the hurting people around me? The honest rotten truth? Because I am afraid. Not the, I have to play frogger to cross the street in India afraid. But the I am about to vomit because I have climbed to the top of a bridge to bungee jump, I am all strapped in, and I am being told to walk the plank, kind of afraid!!
I am afraid knowing that if they do not know Jesus I would sound like a crazy person. That I might be misunderstood. That I might be judged or dismissed as if I was trying to tell them the sky is red not blue.
“The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 2:14
And then coming up with every excuse in the book. You know the ….
– I don’t want to slow down the group I am with
– They will think I am crazy
– But I am on my way to eat and the chicken wings are calling my name
– They don’t understand English anyways so why stop and sit in awkward silence
– I don’t know enough, so what if I say the wrong thing
Or even a combination of them. Well I am done with the excuses. I am not saying that I will be perfect and batting 100% from now on BUT I am declaring that I am no longer going to be ashamed, afraid, embarrassed, selfish, or whatever you want to call it. I am ready to be called crazy by a stranger because that is what God has called me to do.
“If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit.” 2 Corinthians 5:13
God picked me up dusted me off and gave me a new life. A new path to follow that is of good and righteousness and wholeness and holiness and love!! He has given me the spirit of boldness and from now on my new name will be Katie “I am Bold” LaRose!
