Sharing can be hard. I was raised in a way that stressed the importance of minding my own business and letting others live their lives. If they didn’t mess with me, I shouldn’t mess with them. I also grew up as a Christian. As I learned about the importance of sharing the Gospel with others, I sidestepped this idea. In my mind, this was clearly a talent that God granted to certain believers, and not something that was expected of all. However, God has shown me clearly over the past few years that to move forward in my relationship with him, reaching out to others is a necessary step. This urging to share the Gospel motivated my decision to take part in SMI.
The first few days of outreach did not lead me to feel like I was effectively spreading God’s word. Most of the community members we visited were either already believers or completely unresponsive regarding faith. I was feeling somewhat discouraged despite the support of my fellow team members, and I was wondering why God had brought me here. The outreach this past Saturday really changed my perspective on how God can use me. During our screenings, my team came across two men sitting on a porch. After completing our medical checkups, we turned to spirituality. We quickly learned that these two were Rastafarian, and while they accepted the Bible as a book that teaches good life lessons, they did not hold valid the Gospel message. We had a long and civilized discussion, stating our cases for our beliefs. While we were unable to agree on our views of the world, in the end I had done what I could to share the message. As I reflected on the conversation, I realized that’s all God really asks of us. I struggle with perfectionism and expect the gratification of visible results when I work for something. Despite being told over and over, I have failed until recently to understand that it is not through our strength that souls are won over to Christ.
When I was presented with the opportunity to have an open and thoughtful discourse, God gave me the words to represent Him with honesty, compassion, and determination. While no results of my sharing were immediately evident, it is not for me to determine the fate of these men’s hearts. I learned through this encounter the importance of being bold in my faith, and hope to enter this second week of outreach with a renewed vigor.
-Sean Loose