Encouragement for When Sharing Your Faith is Hard
“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.”
On a warm autumn afternoon, a young man approached me on a downtown street. I was a senior in high school, and he couldn't have been much older than I was. "Who do you say Jesus is?" I tried not to roll my eyes. This wasn't the conversation I wanted to be having right then.
"He was a wise teacher and a good role model," I said. It sounded reasonable to me. I hoped he would accept my answer and move on. Instead, he opened a booklet and explained that Jesus is so much more. He showed me an image of a chasm separating me from God and insisted that I needed to know Jesus in a way that made no sense to me. Becoming increasingly uncomfortable, I told him I wasn't particularly interested and quickly darted away.
A year later, I sat in a college lounge having a nearly identical conversation, but this time with someone I knew. It wasn't so easy to escape this time. As a result of this conversation, I grudgingly accepted an invitation to a campus Bible study group. Little did I know, the Holy Spirit would seize my heart that night, and I would give my life to Jesus.
I often think about that young man who first shared the Gospel with me. I so easily dismissed him, thinking he had nothing I needed. But what he shared stuck with me, lingering in the back of my mind.
He will never know what happened to the seed he scattered that day. He will never know God Himself tended that seed, even as it fell on less than ideal soil. He will never know I was eventually called into full-time ministry. And yet, God made him part of my story.
How often do we share our faith with someone and feel undeservedly dismissed? That certainly is not the outcome we desire, but the outcome isn't really up to us. Our part is simply to scatter seed where God directs, or perhaps to water the seed someone else has planted.
Paul reminds us of this very process in 1 Corinthians 3:6-7.
"I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow." (NIV)
What a privilege to partner with God in this way! Our world is hurting right now, and we have been given the opportunity to carry seeds of light and hope into dark places. Even if we never see the final result, we can be confident that God is the very best gardener, cultivating His love in places we could never imagine.
If sharing the reason for your hope feels hard, here are three verses to encourage you:
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. (Pr 3:5-6)
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isa 41:10)
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Rom 15:13)
Rest assured, the Holy Spirit will provide all you need to be a light in the darkness and a voice of hope to the hopeless. His perfect love is all you need!
‘Sometimes healing comes by waving the white flag of surrender when everyone else is telling you to stay in the fight.’
