My Jesus, My Hesitation – Part 1
“I want to talk about Jesus to my seniors. But then, I think again- what if he has a bad opinion of me if I do that?
What if that affects my appraisal and I am denied a raise in salary, which will then affect my family?”
This was a dear brother in Marg admitting his hesitation to speak about our Saviour Jesus Christ, to his senior colleagues. He is a follower of Christ & he has disobeyed Christ’s command (Matt 28:18-20) to make disciples.
I admire his honesty in a world where hiding one’s flaws is the norm. Listening to him helped me because- the fear of “what would people think when they hear that I am a Jesus-freak” is a perennial battle from which I would rather fly. And the recent anti-Christian power surge across India, does not help.
I believe talking about Jesus should be a joyful rhythm in one’s life, not an excruciating process where you check over & over before you speak your mind about the power, mercy & love of Christ and encourage others to surrender and follow Him!
Then what’s the problem with my brother at his workplace? And why do I hesitate to speak up?
It’s not hard to grasp– I want to preserve my self and I think that’s O.K. I do not want to be identified with Christ, if that means discomfort of any sort.
This mean I do not want people to know my real ID – I am a Christ-follower, but try pinning an ID card saying “Christian” to my chest, and I might fight you like a beast. I do not want to identify with my beloved Jesus nor his servants who suffer across the planet daily.
What’s worse- it is easy to continue life without letting ANYONE in my society or workplace know that I follow the “mighty Messiah” I sing of, with my church family. My “reasons” to stay this way abound:
I need to support my family first.
I need to use “wisdom”.
I need to be a good example first.
I hope those arrested in M.P because they were bold for Christ better not hear that I would rather NOT identify with them, the people of God.
Do you bring up Christ in conversations these days gladly? Will you be honest in your response?
