The Simple Way To Be Bold
A Christian’s Life
By Grace K. Bianco
“Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.” 2 Corinthians 3:12
Being a Christian in the twenty-first century is not as respectable as it once was. There’s many people who call themselves a Christian, but do not act like Christian is supposed to at all. These people have put out a bad name for us. Now, we are all grouped together as judgmental and hateful people.
I remember being in middle school, and my older sister was working at Dunkin Donuts at the time. She told us that she hated working on Sundays, because of the angry church people who could come in before or after church. Even way back then, I thought, “What in the world are Christians doing?” Since then, I have heard countless people in the food industry say the exact same thing.
As much as I hate being told, “Oh, I thought you were going to be a stuck up and judgmental girl,” I can’t 100% say I don’t understand where they are coming from. I find it a little judgmental that they automatically assume that I won’t be a nice person, because I believe in God. However, that’s besides the point.
My journey with being bold has changed through the years, but it all started at a young age.
Not Everyone Is A Christian
I was in early elementary school when I went over to my friend’s house after church. I had made this little craft at church that I was supposed to give a friend. I gave it to her excitedly, and that’s when she told me that she didn’t believe in God.
My world stopped. How had I been friends with her for so many years and not realized this?
After that, I invited her to what I could. When I was in middle school, I decided to teach my own Bible study. I invited all the girls I knew in my neighborhood over (including my non believing friend), and I had another friend get her mom to drive her over. Every week, I would put a little lesson together, and we would make cookies.
I remember one time making everyone make cards, and we went to a nearby nursing home to pass them out. I really wanted that Bible study to understand the love of Christ.
I don’t remember exactly how many Bible studies I had, but I do remember taking it very seriously. We were young, but besides one random and little instance of drama, it was respectful and fun. I liked talking about God, and when it was received positively, it gave me the confidence to continue speaking up.
Using My Struggle To Talk About God
Having a Bible study full of people with different beliefs isn’t simple though. It was when I got to high school that I found ways to be bold in a less direct way.
I was homeschooled 4th-8th grade. My mom didn’t hold back about teaching us about different cultures and beliefs. I would say she did a fantastic job making sure that I wasn’t too sheltered.
When I got to high school, I wasn’t phased at all by the different beliefs people had. In fact, I enjoyed hearing what people believed. If I want to be strong in my faith and understand why I believe in what I do, I have to understand what other people believe too. It also helped me to be more respectful of others beliefs and understand their way of thinking more.
As many of you already know, I have struggled with anxiety since I was four. As hard as it has been to deal with, I see it as an advantage as a Christian. Imagine being surrounded by people constantly stressed over school, it was the perfect opportunity to share my story and express how God has helped me. I not only could empathize with their struggle, but I had ways to help them too.
My openness with anxiety was the start of being able to talk about God “casually”.
Application For All Of My Rambling
I am twenty-one now. I still have friends who have different views from me, but we respect each other. We never try to get the other to do something they feel uncomfortable with. They may still bring up their beliefs at times, and I definitely bring up God.
Politics have complicated religious talk by a lot. Everything has to be politically correct. The point of talking about God isn’t to debate. If you come across someone with different views, debating will usually just make them defensive.
The best way to be bold in the twenty-first century is to listen to others, and as respectfully as they tell you what they believe, you tell them what you believe. If they are struggling with something, tell them the good news about God. If you need to be more casual, there is nothing wrong with bringing up God in simple conversation. I have talked to many atheist, and 99% of time, they are super nice and accepting of what I have to say.
Honestly, there have been times that I believe talking to nonbelievers is easier than talking to a fellow Christian. Christians love Bible knowledge, but don’t always like applying it. They could argue over a specific idea for a while before they try to understand the actual message.
In a John MacArthur sermon, he said, “Prayer is better than knowledge.” Having a bunch of Bible facts and Bible verses memorized is great, but it doesn’t do much if you don’t apply it.
There’s always a “risk” when you talk about God. It doesn’t always matter who you are talking to. Even me writing this blog opens the door for angry comments and the possibility of being shadow banned. God is not my biggest secret, and I want everyone who knows me to at least know who God is. It may cause a debate, but there’s always the chance that it could save someone’s life. I am willing to test the waters.
Being bold doesn’t mean being the smartest. It means having some humility and bringing up God as often as possible and to as many people as possible. It could be as simple as “I am praying for you” or as in depth as telling someone your testimony when they share their own life story.
*Taken from Canva
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