A Faith Out Loud
While at an appointment for his brother, James read “appendix” on the chart of the digestive system and proceeded to ask what the organ did. I did not have an answer and was a little busy trying to wrangle a new toddler and undress his big brother to research an answer.
This did not stop him from asking the doctor when she arrived in the room. Her response was “We don’t really know what the appendix is for.” James’ little shocked face was amusing. The doctor went on to say that the medical community had their best guess (a detail what that was) but no one knows for certain.
Without missing a beat, James responded with, “I know someone who knows.” The doctor and I looked at him with a bit of a confused look. The doctor asked who and his response was, “God! He knows everything because He created us.”
And I just want to stop the story right there.
WOW!
This kid is confident, that’s for sure. But he is also bold. Sometimes I wonder where he got that from. Sometimes I wonder if my life hadn’t been altered so traumatically at just six years old if I would have that kind of confidence. But more than anything I wondered, “Why the heck don’t I profess my faith like that?”
Of course, I share my faith. I tell people about the gospel when I know for sure they are not believers or if they reach out specifically to me to ask questions about God. But I rarely insert God into conversation like that.
I’m always afraid I’ll offend someone.
Isn’t that how it goes? Our approval seeking selves refuse to go out on a limb to invite someone to church or mention God in any capacity. We are afraid of breaking some type of unspoken rule within a group setting, afraid of hurting someone’s feelings or making people uncomfortable or better yet feeling uncomfortable ourselves.
As an introvert I use that as an excuse to prevent me from going out on a limb and bringing up God in an innocent conversation about the appendix. But when we are shyly hiding and keeping our faith within we are putting off a message that those who don’t know are undeserving. And that’s simply not true.
Everyone deserves to hear about God’s love. It doesn’t have to be deep. It doesn’t have to be weird and awkward it can just be “Hey, you don’t have to worry. God knows what tomorrow will bring.”
I’m learning so much from this confident kid feeding the birds at the beach over the summer.
Live your faith out loud.
