As a Christian, it has been stated in various ways how others may or may not perceive us and how they view our love of our God and Savior. Some will see us as enjoyable to be around and converse with freely or they may feel intimidated by the strength of our faith and yet others will see us as condemning and judgmental or even unworthy of their time. However you look at Christianity and Christians, our goal should always be, first and foremost, to serve the Lord and in service to the Lord, we also must serve others.
For me, I love to hear someone else talk about their experiences or preach about the Good Word because those messages have a tendency to show me something different that I may not have considered while I am on my own journey of faith. However, there are so many people who are not to that point, so when they hear preaching about God, they tune out or walk away.
Of course, giving our service to others is not an easy task to undertake at times especially if some of those that we serve don’t have a favorable opinion of Christianity, in the first place. So, how can we serve when that is the case? We serve them through our actions. It’s what we are doing and showing them while we are serving that tells a different tale and truly demonstrates the love of our God. We give our service through loving them and meeting them where they are. We give our service by listening and demonstrating an understanding that their feelings may be valid based on what they have gone through. We give our service through praying with them, if they chose, and praying for them after they have moved on, even if they had rejected that prayer before. We give our service through gently guiding them in their quest to change, if that is what they want, not by condemning but by helping them to find better ways to handle their pain and anger and disappointments that have come to them in life.
In our service to others, it must not be with an expectation of payment or glory or fame. We have to look closely at our own motives for sharing our faith in God to others on a constant basis. We must make sure that we don’t let our own personal greed or our desires to be recognized/famous or by having an inflated ego be the reason that we serve others. Our service to God is and should be about being of service to His people. When we choose a different path and we do our service based more on our glory instead of God’s glory, then that is when we risk being hypocritical and do more harm than good.
What did I learn from this? I know that I must constantly be open to learning new things whether it be about myself or about others and understanding what motivates them. I have to be careful to not be judgmental towards others, especially the lost sheep of God’s flock. Yes, they may have turned away deliberately from God but I have to ask God to give me a spirit of wisdom and discernment in speaking with others and in learning about their own journey in life. It’s not for me to judge where they end up, but I can try to help them with guidance if that is what the Holy Spirit wants me to do. All through that? I have to be in constant prayer, as well. As a child of God, I cannot do anything less. (Related post: Where there is faith, there must also be works)
So, what can you learn from this? Examine your faith and how you are open to sharing it. We don’t often realize that in our exuberance of sharing our faith, we may instead be driving others away. That’s not always a bad thing, though. It may be that God is protecting you from those who don’t see what you see or even have turned away from you because of the strength of your faith.
Whatever happens, continue to be joyful in serving the Lord. Don’t let anyone dim your shine but do ask Him for His guidance and wisdom so that you too can help be of service to others in the name of God. You never know how or even who you may be impacting through your service to His people. (Related post: God Calls Us to Scatter Joy Like Seeds to Others)
A Joyful Mission 