Missed Opportunities

Chapter 2, pg. 28-29: “He always said grace before he ate his lunch, and never missed an opportunity to talk to me about Jesus Christ…”

This paragraph stood out to me because I think about all the opportunities I missed to witness to others, particularly during my first couple years of undergrad. While I don’t think that standing on Sproul using a megaphone to proclaim the Gospel is the best way to evangelize, there were so many ways I can share my faith with others very naturally. Even praying before meals when I'm with a group of friends can lead to conversations about why I pray, who I'm praying to, etc., which can then lead to deeper discussions about Christianity, which might eventually lead to an opportunity to invite them to Bible study! It can also serve as a way to find out who is genuinely curious about Christ and spiritually hungry. I’ve found that people are a lot more open than I give them credit for.

Regarding the second part of this quote, I think it’s really important to have at least one person that I'm praying for and thinking about, and when the right opportunity comes, witnessing to and sharing my faith with. Though I wish there were more people like this when I was undergrad, I did have a friend who was a year younger than me that I was constantly evangelizing to. He and I went to the same high school, so we were already close before college, but God used the trust built up over the years as a window for me to talk about Christ, religion, spirituality, the big questions of life, whether or not there is an absolute Truth, etc. He came out to a few events, got to know people from Gracepoint, and even took Course 101. He never made a decision, and he’s at USC Med School right now, but he’s still someone I think about and pray for, and we still share a very special friendship. I’m hoping that God will use everything he experienced here at Cal for his salvation one day.

Yes, I want to win the world for Christ, but I must start with the “small” matters He has entrusted me with. I want to emulate Jim Elliot in this way, to be faithful and trustworthy with the matters (and people) God has given me now so that He can entrust me with even more in the future! (cf. Matthew 25).