Choosing to Embarrass Myself

I planted myself in the middle of the student section at the football game. A smile on my face, dread in my core. Some of my outreach team members and I were there in order to share the gospel with local highschoolers, but within ten minutes they had created a bubble of space around us as the students gave us suspicious looks. The message was clear — we did not belong.

I had no idea what to say, and to be honest, these teenagers were scary. I wanted them to like me, I wanted to communicate well, I didn’t want to embarrass myself.

Reading Paul’s words in today’s passage this morning spoke to my nervous heart. Even Paul, who wrote most of the New Testament and who preached the gospel to so many, was scared. He came with great fear and trembling. He didn’t have something super-honed to say that would magically break down cultural barriers — he simply spoke the truth about Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit.

At halftime, they did a special memorial for a local highschooler who passed away suddenly a few months ago. And as I watched her classmate cry his way through some words of remembrance, my heart was filled with the urgency of the gospel message we had to share with these students.

So you know what? Let’s embarrass ourselves. Let’s step forward when trembling and blunder our way through. Because God’s grace and the Holy Spirit working are more than capable of using our awkward faithfulness.

Lord, thank you for the privilege of sharing your hope and truth with those around us. Please help us to connect with those whose hearts you have prepared and give us the words to say. Strengthen us with the courage that comes from your presence.

Throughout This Day: Ask God to show you the opportunities he is giving you to help people draw closer to Jesus. You might even want to consider becoming an online mentor to reach people around the world who are hurting and seeking answers to life's challenges. Click here to learn more.