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| Image Credit: blog.bongous.com |
Once you’ve listened and learned about the other person you
can transition to sharing your story.
Remember, this is still a conversation - not an opportunity for you to
ascend your soapbox and impose your faith on the listener. If you do they’ll probably head for the
hills.
If you speak in a conversational, genuine and heartfelt way
they should be willing to listen. This is the first step in opening minds that
may have snapped closed to faith long ago.
Tie your story to what you’ve learned about them. If they think the very idea of God is bunk, you
might reply “I used to think that too, and it took me a long time to get past
it.” Or, “I’ve never been in that position because I’ve
always had faith. I know He’s there
because of the peace and strength I have that I can’t explain otherwise.” Or, “I’ve believed my whole life but I’ve had
the same questions as you. I found the
evidence supported faith.”
Then ask, “Is it OK if I tell you my story?” Here’s mine:
I was raised as a church going Methodist. Then I went to college, lost my faith and was
an atheist for many years. As time went
on, I became even more convinced I was right because everything around me
seemed to confirm it: news stories, commentaries, movies, world problems,
injustice, and the general culture all conspired to denigrate the idea of God
and Christianity.
Even so, I still believed in the value of a Christian
upbringing for my kids and when the time came my wife and I looked for a church, but I wasn't looking forward to feigning belief for the next twenty years. Then things started happening: questions I had about God were addressed in
magazine articles, radio programs and other places. I asked a respected
business associate what he thought about God and found he was a strong
Christian who talked convincingly about his faith. These things continued to happen and I found
myself questioning my unbelief.
One night I entered my son’s room to read him a bedtime
story. Out of the blue, I mentally said
“God, if Jon wants to read the Little Golden
Book About God - which we had never read before - instead of PJ Funnybunny, then I’ll
believe.” Jon had PJ in his hands, put
it down, pulled the “God” book off the bookshelf and said “I want to read this
tonight.” I’ve believed ever since.
Although I was still skeptical about Jesus, over years of
seeking answers I found He’s real, too. I
now have faith and find it continually strengthened because I look at things from a
Christian perspective and see God everywhere.
Here’s an old question.
“Which man is truly crazy, the one who hears thunder and thinks it’s the
voice of God, or the one who hears the voice of God and thinks it only thunder?” Christian faith lets me hear the voice of
God.
Next Christian
Standpoint article: Sharing Your
Faith
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