Give Them Something to Talk About


 

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sind and make music in your hearts to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:19-20

Normally when we think about talking about other people it carries some bad connotations. Recently I’ve had several conversations about others that have been very positive. The one that stands out is the chat I had with my husband, Otto about my sister, Brenda.

About a month ago Brenda came to my home for a quick weekend visit. That may not seem notable but when you consider the contortions and the alignment of events that had to take place to make that visit happen it becomes significant. Add to that that Brenda and I are not sisters by birth. (Make no mistake, although we do not share a family of origin we do share family and are very much sisters.) We had a great time on our weekend and agreed that at least once a year there has to be a visit for just the two of us.

When I was talking to my husband about it I realized even more how much that time spent together truly meant to me.  As I explained it to him and talked about my sister I also realized, not for the first time but in a very deep way, how much she really means to me. That gave me another idea.

I am not an evangelist. I’ve done the spiritual gifts assessment so I can assure you that I truly am not. Beyond that, the whole concept of traditional evangelism, the Roman Road, etc. makes me a bit uncomfortable. I’ve always been more of a proponent of St. Francis, “Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary use words.” While I still feel better in that camp than in the door knocking, what would happen if you died tonight camp, I can see where a certain kind of talking could be extremely valuable.

In talking about Brenda, it wasn’t just I who was touched by the words. As he listened my husband saw my feelings and also commented on how much he likes her as well. Follow me here. If I speak about Jesus in that same casual way, just sharing about the time spent with my brother, not only will I see how much that time means to me but so will whoever is listening to me.

Anything that brings me closer to Jesus is desirable to me. If I can also draw others to him that’s even better. I may not be an evangelist but I am a talker and I do love the Lord.  That’s a far better topic than a lot that I hear around me. If my joy in my relationship with Jesus can influence someone else to seek him that will be the best of all outcomes.

 

 

 

 

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