by Frank Paul
A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for. John A. Shedd
The title of this article refers to being an “active” Christian; and more specifically, the “ship” refers to your Christianity. The first part of the quote below the title refers to your cozy little place at home when you are reading the Word or praying, and you are secure; while the second part of the quote refers to your Christianity slowly rotting away while you’re all by yourself or just in a small group and stagnating.
If you are fortunate enough to have traveled this temporary earthly road long enough to realize that Jesus absolutely is the “real deal,” to use a modern phrase, it would be a shame to keep that knowledge anchored up at shore all to yourself; and you know that. You also know that Jesus commanded his Apostles to preach his Words to the ends of the earth, yet you have no idea how to even begin. You do not possess the charisma to stand on a street corner talking to passersby about Jesus; I certainly don’t. You are too shy to make videos of yourself and put them online for everyone and anyone to see. Perhaps you do not feel comfortable writing down your thoughts to share with others; you are frustrated. You know you are not supposed to keep Jesus all to yourself, yet you have no idea how to start sharing this knowledge with others.
Let me toss out a couple of ideas I have used, and still do use, to get you over the “hump,” if you will, of shyness, and launch your ship out to sail.
I started with index cards. Maybe when you are reading the Bible or praying, a certain verse strikes you as comforting, or you already have some favorite words from Scripture or short prayers that you like; jot them down on an index card and put them in your vehicle. When you go to the grocery store, the hardware store, library, anywhere out in public, sneakily slide one in between some items on a shelf, drop one in an empty cart, leave it anywhere you can. Eventually, someone is going to pick up that card and read it. Maybe it will mean something to them, maybe it won’t. Maybe they will just throw it on the floor and someone else will sweep it up later and read it. You just don’t know. God will get it into the hands of whomever needs to read it; you just need to do your part. You can feel as if you are God’s little helper.
Do you have a page with Facebook, InstaGram, or whatever the latest social media platform is nowadays, write a short prayer or verse from Scripture, and keep it short, easier readability, and post it. No explanation needed, no leadup to it, just write it down and let it fly. You have absolutely no idea who you may touch with the words you write down or what seed you may be sowing for a future time.
I write this at the end of September 2024; Christmas will be here before you know it. A few years ago at Christmastime as part of the outdoor decorations, we made a small cross, maybe two feet high, out of wood, pounded it into the ground, wrapped Christmas lights around it and lit it up. It was beautiful, it so fit the Christmas season; but the interesting thing is, I could not bear to take it down after the season. I tried, but it just did not happen; and to this day, we have a lit cross in front of our house 24/7/365, and no one has ever complained about it. It can’t hurt, and it feels good, letting Jesus shine.
If that is a little too much for you, why not just hang a small cross in your front window; you do not even have to light it up. Don’t be embarrassed; we are not going door to door selling vacuum cleaners, we are letting our ship sail and being an active Christian. That is why Jesus found us and saved us in the first place; to help Him spread the Word.
One last thing you might try to do to be an active Christian is feeding others. It is really hard to think about anything else, especially spiritual things, when you are hungry. Hungry, hungry; not, “I haven’t eaten in five hours” hungry.
I get small paper bags and pack a sandwich, a bottle of water, a piece of fruit, and one of my index cards in them. Leave them in your vehicle for a day. If you don’t use them, bring them in, throw them in the frig, and take them back to your vehicle the next day. Believe me, you will run across someone who looks as if they could use a meal, or maybe you already know of a place or two in your neighborhood where you have seen homeless folks; go there.
You do not have to be preachy or overly bold. I just say, “Hey, I happen to have some extra food. Here you go. Have a blessed day. Don’t give up,” smile, and leave. That is it. You just do not know what effect that kind gesture will have on someone, and it’s not as hard as you might think.
Do not leave your Christianity all safely nestled up in your home with food, electricity, and all your other essentials and not do anything with it; that is not why Jesus loved us so much that He died for us. He died for you.
Please share His words with others, and let your ship sail…
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