Invite others to follow your footsteps

Have you ever felt like you weren't good enough? I don't care what area of your life it was in - whether sports, family, friends, or in class - but do you remember that feeling of being inadequate, embarrassed, not smart, foolish, or one of the million other feelings you could associate with that moment? I know that I have felt like this a lot - such as times in Speech when I had to perform for other's that I felt were much better than me... and this really messed with my self-esteem as well as the confidence in my performance (or lack thereof). I've also had many times when I had to sing in front of people who I felt were better than me, who cared more about their voice lessons than me, and somehow, I still had to get through the performance even with these horrible feelings of doubt and inability.

Today's blog is centering around a phrase I found the other day: "Don't follow in my footsteps; I run into walls." Do you ever feel like that? That you don't want someone to copy or imitate you, because then they will be better able to see what areas you are lacking in? Well, you know what? All of us are lacking in various areas of our life! Maybe if you allow someone to see that vulnerability - to see that you "run into walls" - then maybe this person will show you how to avoid those walls. And maybe you can teach them how to walk, and in return, they'll teach you how to walk through doors and not into the walls.

Now, think of this as related to your faith - have you ever felt like you shouldn't share your faith with others because you did not know all of the answers to the questions that may be asked? Have you ever felt like you weren't as good of a Christian because you didn't know the answer to a question regarding Paul, or because you didn't know where the book of Revelation was located in the Bible? Now, have you ever considered the fact that these fears are completely irrelevant problems, since all of these answers can be found or at least discussed?

Now, let's go to a quick hypothetical situation… Let's say your friend has won the lottery. You would want to know about this right away, correct? Ok, maybe I should say someone closer to you - like your brother or your parents or grandparents. Let's say they won the lottery - you would expect that phone call right away, correct? You wouldn't be concerned with the trivial worries about the taxes on the money or how this will affect next year's tax returns or exactly how the money will be spent or the location where they will turn in their ticket - these are worries that you would rather face as time goes on - instead, all you're interested in at that exact moment is the fact that they won the lottery! And you want to be one of the first to know and to go through the entire process with them (and share some of those winnings if possible!).

Just like this, sharing our faith with others isn't something where we need to know every single detail before we can share our story. Far, far, far from it. Instead, all we need to know for certain is what our faith is doing in our lives - people respond to personal testimonies. If they ask you something you don't know, such as, "Where is the book of Revelation?" or "What is your favorite Bible verse?" Just answer honestly if you are not certain - say, "I'm not sure where that book is, but let's pull out my Bible and we can find out together." Or "I don't have a favorite verse right now, but I find so many of the stories to be inspirational - let me tell you about one I heard in church this past weekend..."

It's not necessary for us to know the answer. We cannot possibly know everything! All we do need to know is our own love for God, our own faith, and our own ways that we have seen God work within our lives. Once we have our own personal faith and relationship with God, we can witness to others. And then when these others want to discuss an area that we don't know, do not say "I don't know" and get embarrassed. Instead, say, "Oh, I'm not sure the answer to that. We should look it up and figure it out!" In this way, you will BOTH be learning and figuring things out - and there's no reason to be embarrassed to say that you do not know the answer.

Knowing the most about the Bible and your church does not make you the best Christian - there's no way to be the better Christian or the best Christian. We have all been given different skills and abilities, what we really need to look at is how important our faith is to us - are we doing God's will, listening to God's call, nurturing our relationship with him through our works and deeds - or are we putting him in the background of our lives? I can guarantee you that some Christians who have converted hundreds never even had the chance to read the Bible, while some people who have memorized the Bible still did not grasp the true meaning of living a Christian life.

I know there have been many times where I felt less educated and less in the know about my faith and my religion…but through my years, I have learned that not knowing the answers is acceptable - the real question is whether or not we are open to researching the answers to these questions. As long as we are open to discussion and to helping each other learn, we will grow together in our faith and in our friendships so much more greatly than we would have if we had kept quiet until we felt that we knew all of the answers and were prepared….because truly, we will never have all the answers, and we will never be fully prepared. Instead, God will feed us along the way, and he will give us all we need for the current time, and as long as we trust in him, we will always be able to seek the truth and to search for our answers.

Just look at Paul's conversion - he began preaching the gospel immediately after he had been healed…with minimal "training"...just as he did, so should we.

"As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"

"Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked.

"I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."

The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, "Ananias!"

"Yes, Lord," he answered.

The Lord told him, "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight."

"Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name."

But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."

Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. All those who heard him were astonished and asked, "Isn't he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn't he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?" Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ."

-Acts 9:1-22