The cross is made of barn wood and barbed wire. Rough to the touch and razor sharp. But when it hangs in my living room it emits a radiant glow.
Its jagged and hard edges remind me of my brokenness, while its honey warmth shines with the glorious light I have found in Jesus Christ. It’s a cross my father made and it is a gift I didn’t value, at least not until I picked up my cross to follow Him.
Relentless is a word I use to describe my father. He wanted me to accept Jesus so badly that there wasn’t a day when he didn’t bombard me with His message.
When he wasn’t outright demanding, he sent Christian gifts he’d fashioned with his own hands. Besides the cross, I also received a carving of a church and verses burned onto pieces of barnwood. My only Christmas gift from him one year was a leather-bound study Bible.
I shamefully admit I once hid his gifts away. I put the cross and barnwood pieces where I could not see them. The Bible sat in a drawer, unopened for seven years. But my father continued his relentless pursuit. He prayed for me and he never gave up, even when I told him things like: “I refuse to drink the Kool-Aid” and “I don’t believe in organized religion.”
Seven years after I received the study Bible, during one of the most difficult periods of my life, my heart softened as the Holy Spirit began to work in me. I opened that Bible, began going to church, and surrendered my life to Jesus. Today, my father’s artwork hangs throughout my home as a constant reminder of both my earthly and my heavenly Father’s love for me.
My father isn’t the only one who invited me into a relationship with Christ. There is the friend who took a midnight call to pray with me, the one who taught me to release my shame by telling me how Jesus made me new, and the one who invited me repeatedly to go to church with her until I finally did. Their efforts helped to soften my hard heart until there was room for the Holy Spirit to enter in.
God calls all of us to be persistent in our "faith talks" with others. Our job is to be in relationship with Christ ourselves with Him, then invite others to do the same. Jesus tells his disciples to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16: 15-16).
BE A LIGHT
There’s a woman in my life group whose eyes sparkle and voice trembles when she talks about God. Her abundant joy overflows, and as you listen to her speak, you just want what she has. She is a light I find myself drawn to, like a moth to a flame.
She embodies what we are called to be in Matthew 5:16, when Jesus says, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Some of us keep our emotions tightly wrapped inside and we struggle to show any outward display of joy. The good news is that one of the best and easiest ways to share your faith is to live a godly life. Some ways to do this is making a habit of reading the Bible, being in prayer, confession sin, being in fellowship with other believers, and responding to the heavenly nudges that call us to share our faith story with others.
When you’re passionate about Christ in every part of your life, it shows. People see something different about you and they may want to know what it is. We can reflect Christ through kind words and actions, patience, and a generous and gentle spirit. We can treat others with respect, choose to love even difficult people, forgive those who hurt us, and help those who need us.
And, when we care for the widow, help the poor and disadvantaged, or forgive the unforgivable, we become a light in the darkness that draws others in and makes them want to know more.
DON'T BE AFRAID
My dad tells the story about how a ray of light came streaming through the church’s stained-glass windows as he poured out his troubles to God. He recalls that the light shone so bright and beautifully that he felt a peacefulness stir within his heart. In that moment, he knew everything would be okay if he put his trust in God.
My dad isn’t shy about sharing this story, especially with his children and grandchildren. He shares the moment he gave his life to Christ. He shares what God did for him and why he believes they also need God in their lives. Many times, he's met with resistance.
Resistance from others can stop us from sharing our beliefs; even Moses felt that way. Remember in Exodus how Moses told the Lord he wasn’t the right person for the job to go before Pharaoh because he didn’t speak well enough? Then the Lord sent his brother Aaron to speak for him as an encouragement.
Jesus has done the same for us!
When we are afraid to share our faith because we don’t know what to say, there is a heavenly messenger to help us. Jesus promises that He will give us the right words when he says, “for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say” (Luke 12:12).
NEVER GIVE UP
My father keeps a prayer wall in his bedroom. It’s covered with notes scribbled on pieces of scrap paper that say, "Pray for this person’s illness or that person’s son. Pray for this man who lost his job or that woman who lost her home." A crumpled note once sat on that board, reminding him to pray for his wayward daughter.
His prayer wall reminds me to never give up. He prayed continuously for me and shared the gospel while I met his efforts with resistance. But he stayed the course. His actions taught me to persist even when I'm met with a resounding, "No." Our job is to share the Good News, not to change others’ hearts. Other people’s faith will grow—in its own time—as the Holy Spirit does His work. At times, my father may have been too intense or could have softened his approach a little, but his love for me and everyone in the family had been apparent to us all.
Jesus said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade” (Mark 4:26-41).
We are called to share the gospel, but we unable to open others’ hearts to listen to God’s truth—only God can do that. But that doesn’t mean we should stop trying. We are here to plant the seed in a loving way and to let the Holy Spirit grow the rest.
Relentless may be a word I attach to my father’s pursuit of me, but it’s also a word we can attach to our witnessing. When God calls us to share our testimony, we must speak as boldly as the prophet Isaiah when he heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
He didn’t tell God: This is too hard, I’m not good enough and I don’t know what to say. He said, “Here am I. Send me!” (Is. 6:8).
When we say, “Here am I. Send Me,” we may experience the joy my father did as I was baptized. There is no better feeling than seeing a loved one, a friend, or an acquaintance begin to walk with the Lord.
But even if they never come to faith, the cross hanging in my living room reminds me to never stop praying and looking for opportunities to share Christ. We are here to issue the invitation and let God do the rest.
~ By Ronnie Wendt
