Snow/ice/sleet day -- whatever you wanna call it, I get the day off today. Good thing, because our garage door was frozen shut, so I wasn't going to make it very far.
I remember in high school and college, when I was struggling with an essay -- one of the first things I always did was grab the dictionary for some inspiration.
I learned pretty early that it's not all that effective or original to start an essay, say, on 'perseverance' by proclaiming "The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines perseverance as..."
Admit it, we've all used that line... or at least read someone else's paper who used that line. And although the definition's a great place to start your research, it's not always (or ever) the best way to start an essay.
If you're wondering, "what does this have to do with anything?" just bear with me.
I think it's far more effective to just imply that whoever's reading what your writing already knows what the definition is --- or is capable of looking it up if they don't. The reason they're reading your essay is because they want to know why it's important. How can it change your life? Why not give up? What are some examples in history of people who persevered and succeeded? Where's evidence that perseverance works? Why do I need to persevere?
Last week in church, our pastor talked about how "No one can deny the power of a changed life" and how we can use our testimony to help others find Christ.
That sermon changed how I look at everything, and pointed out that I might not be using the most effective way to reach out to others -- my story of how God has changed my life. This post is not an original idea -- my pastor said it better than I could even attempt, and you can listen to his sermon here: http://theransomchurch.org/sermons/testimony/
And watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFgIIN_65kE&feature=youtu.be seriously life-changing!
But these are some thoughts I had after hearing the sermon.
I realized that, although I would never start an essay with the definition of a word (well maybe not never, but I probably wouldn't)
I too often start with the "definition" of Christianity when I'm discussing God or my faith to others. I "define" myself by saying "I'm a Christian." Or "I attend church every week." Or "I listen to the Christian radio station and read a devotional every morning."
But are those "definitions" an effective way to minister to others? I don't think they are completely ineffective. But can I do better than that?
So what about, instead of "defining" myself out loud -- I try to live a godly life so that other people will see how my life is different. I don't live in bars on the weekends or gamble or steal or cheat. But aren't there a lot of people who don't know Jesus who don't do those same things? What sets Christians apart?
The old phrase "actions speak louder than words," isn't a complete lie. But as Christians, we know that nothing we do will ever be enough. So if we're trying to show others how Jesus has changed our life through our actions, we're bound to fail at some point. And people will be waiting for that failure as proof that being a Christian hasn't truly changed you.
So instead of just giving others the "definition" of what it means to be a "Christian" or silently standing back, judgmental -- because you are living a changed life as a Christian and other people are not.
We need to put our grade-school writing skills to use and TELL people how becoming a Christian has changed our lives.
Why not give in to the temptations of this fallen world, since life is short? What are some examples of people who were faithful to God and were rewarded? Why are you willing to get up on Sunday mornings and go to church and take time to read your Bible? Where's evidence that it works? Why is this the most important decision I'll ever make? What if I choose not to believe in God? Why do I need Jesus?
Most people already know that "Christians" go to church and read the Bible and don't hang out at the party scene -- that's in the 'textbook definition of Christian' that people can figure out on their own or have heard a million times. The thing people need to hear, is your story and testimony -- how God has changed you.
If we gave that much effort to our high school essays, I'd say we at least owe that much to our friends.
This month at church, we're starting a series called "License to Sin," which has been extremely challenging and eye-opening so far.
It's so easy to take God's grace, and continue sinning.
We know God will keep forgiving us, right?
But does that give us 'license to sin?' And is watching a tv show or movie where every other word is a swear word or getting drunk once in a while or cheating on a test that is too hard in the first place really a sin? You can't go one day without being exposed to these things. So what even falls in the 'category' of sinning? Don't Christians do those things all the time?
I'm grateful to have a church that discusses tough stuff, like this.
xo,
Emily
