If Necessary, Use Words
“Preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.” ~St. Francis of Assisi (popularly attributed to)
Call it four years ago, I was in bible study at work and this lady Emily, who always seems to have something profound to say, shared this quote. It’s so simple, yet so convicting. It cuts to the core. We are so used to having to speak up, to share our thoughts, to share our testimonies to get points across.
The Gospel is the most important message any of us can ever hear or share. And what this quote gets at is: Walk the Walk. Sure, we should be sharing and talking, it is how we communicate, but if our actions do not line up with what we are saying, people can see the hypocrisy—that moves them further away.
There is the me on Sunday’s, the me during the week, the me with my family, and the me with my friends. What attracts people is that they see all those versions being interchangeable and the same; there is no difference between the me who is breaking bread at home with the family, to the me who is hosting a small group, to the me sitting on the trading floor. The world is looking for people who are genuine and authentic.
People are constantly reading our lives and that’s a good thing. However, it can feel like a ton of pressure, especially if you are one of the only followers of Jesus in your workplace, in your family, or in your friend group because people will always be looking for you to slip up. But can I encourage us all, that our lives, the way we love God and love others, could be the only Gospel message that people in our sphere of influence may ever read. Now, by no way are our actions going to be perfect, but the mindset I use in particular is that I’m going to be getting better each day. My hope and goal is to be marginally better than the day before. Life is a journey, not a sprint.
Day by day I want to reflect on where my actions didn’t line up with my core beliefs. “Was that conversation I was having with my manager actual feedback or gossiping? Was that email I sent out worded in such a way that I was breaking someone down instead of building them up? Could I have admitted that I was wrong and given credit, or did my pride get in the way again? Was that something fair that I said to my spouse, or am I (only) trying to win every fight?” We are never going to get in 100% right, else why would we even need the Gospel message to begin with. But that’s where our words and our own humility can point not to ourselves but to Jesus, who loved us so much that He covered up all those mistakes.
So yes, the goal is to live such a life that people read it and know something is different about us. They want to know: “How do you have the joy in the midst of persecution? How have you been married to the same person for 50 years, happily? Why do you spend time with that friend that we all know is toxic, but love him as if he isn’t?” And people will know it’s because Jesus rescued us, transformed our heart, and repurposed our life’s mission. Simply put, it’s to love God with all our heart, mind, and soul, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. And if necessary, we can tell them that!