I am not ashamed...

I was standing on the corner of Marion and High Street in downtown Salem under grey skies. It was my first experience with our local missions trip week, and I was terrified. I had been given an opportunity to speak to strangers about Jesus, and I was not the most thrilled about it. Still, my heart was soft, and I began a dialogue (or argument) with God. An elderly woman was approaching me on the sidewalk. God was clearly asking me to greet her and pray for her. I was clearly not interested in complying with his request. 

So God asked me, “Are you ashamed of me? Are you ashamed of the gospel?” 

Ouch. Now He had my attention. And in God’s grace, He was appealing to my faith convictions, helping me overcome my fear. I pulled my shoulders back, and shouted to God (in my head), “No! I am not ashamed of You! I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ!”

So meekly, I shuffled over to the woman on the sidewalk, introduced myself, and had an amazing conversation and encouraging time of prayer. Almost 10 years later, I still remember this small experience that had a large impact on my faith. I learned how much room I have to grow, and how much power belongs to God. 

Our high school students will experience similar life-changing opportunities this coming week during their mission trip. Would you add our high school, and any individual names you know, to your daily prayer time? These eternal opportunities for our own students, and the people they engage with, carry tremendous value in God’s Kingdom. “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:36)