Consider this conversation between a Christian golfer and the person he was paired up with. That man said, “What’s your name?” introducing himself, the Christian said, “Phil Callaway,” and the man then asked, “Do you make the clubs?”
The Christian replied, “No, I pay people to do that” then quickly told him the truth. Then, when the conversation got past golf and the weather, it didn’t take long for the other man to discover that Callaway was a Christian.
Then the other man said, “I’ve had awful experiences with Christians.” And Callaway responded with, “Really? Me, too.” He shared that this response opened the door for a lengthy discussion that had a positive and hopeful conclusion.
My husband tells of several golfers he’d never met or even talked to about his faith, but by the third or fourth hole, they apologized for taking the Lord’s name in vain.
The NT says: “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.” (Colossians 4:5) While this may include our words, it says “walk” not “talk” leaving me to think that if my life does not match the way God wants me to live, I’m wasting my time with words about trusting Jesus for forgiveness and a new life.
Not talking does not mean non-verbal stuff like the couple once spotted who wore jean jackets covered with “Jesus” buttons, literally covered. These two stood out, but not the way they thought. Callaway mentions pinning verses to our shirts or dropping Gospels of John on the fairway instead of taking every opportunity to live out our faith.
Most of my examples are small. I once saw a small child in the foyer of a movie theatre holding a full cup of popcorn. Someone bumped her and her popcorn landed on the floor before she had taken one bite. She was crying. I didn’t know the child, but bought her a new popcorn. That was years ago, but Callaway’s story reminds me of it. I’m to let the Lord’s ‘first thought’ become action. It was not to rebuke the one who bumped her and then walk away with a “turn or burn’ scowl, but to show kindness to the upset child.
More recently, I took my purchases to a real person rather than use the noisy automatic checkout machines. I told her that I’d rather listen to her than a machine. She almost burst into tears and said, “That’s the nicest thing anyone has said to me all week.”
Some might say that the child nor the clerk knew that such actions come from the love of God, but they forget that the Holy Spirit has the ability to convey to others where kindness or any other obedient behavior comes from. My friends at this week’s birthday party did not need to spell it out or even need to say “God bless you” to make visible the extraordinary difference Christ has made in their lives. One of them, a non-Christian, told me how much she is blessed to hang out with those women. She is being drawn to the wonder of God’s goodness by the openness and integrity of their lives.
PRAY: The word that comes to mind is integrity. Jesus, my life and my words need to match. No mask. No pretense. No attitude of ‘holier than thou’ or efforts to look like a Christian (whatever that means), but just being who I am… warts and all, and letting You use me as You will. When I sing ‘just as I am’ that is what the words convey from my side of things, and You are amazing in how You use integrity to convey Your love and Your truths to others.
