Sometimes I’m chicken

Sep 17, 2010Find joy today, Write!

I’ll be speaking about writing the truth tomorrow at the North Texas Christian Writers Conference. It’s a challenging talk, one that I’ve labored over a lot. It’s the kind of talk that convicts me as I say it out loud.

Anne Lamott in Bird by Bird writes this challenge to all of us (not simply writers): “Risk being unliked. Tell the truth as you understand it. If you’re a writer, you have a moral obligation to do this. And it is a revolutionary act–truth is always subversive.” Sometimes it’s easy to tell the truth. “You look beautiful today.”

Sometimes it’s not. “Your husband is having an affair.”

Sometimes it’s neutral. “I like granola.”

But when it comes to sharing our faith, it’s never easy, nor is it neutral.

And that’s where the chicken in me comes out. I can share Jesus with people who already love Him. I love that kind of sharing. I like listening to my discipleship group of senior (in high school) girls and then challenging them in their walks with Jesus.

But it’s harder for me to share Jesus with someone who doesn’t know Him. I did that in Ghana, door to door. At first it completely freaked me out. But as I got used to sharing Jesus, it got better. Then joyful. Then thrilling.

So why do I still shirk it? Why am I a chicken?

I worry what others will think. I fret about backlash. I wish it weren’t true. But it is. And then there are times when I’ve shared in so many different ways at different times that I wonder if I’ve become an evangelistic pest. So I pray. And hope. And wonder. And pray some more.

I wish I could end this post with something akin to triumph. But I’m just being honest.

How about you? Are you chicken when it comes to sharing your faith? Why or why not?

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