Other People Are Better Than Me

From Keep It Simple by Marie Aitkin on YouVersion

Jesus was clear that as His followers, we are to be his witnesses “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). But many of us opt out of sharing our faith – with family, friends, and strangers alike. Over the next five days, we’re going to take a closer look at some of the common barriers that may be keeping you from speaking up so you can be prepared, as Peter urged, to explain the hope you have as a believer.

Perhaps one of the things keeping you from bringing Jesus into your conversations is that you’ve decided other people are just better than you at talking about Jesus, so you leave it up to them.

In John 4, we read the story of Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well. We know that culturally, this daily act of gathering fresh water would normally have taken place in the cool of the morning alongside other women. Yet here, the Samaritan woman is visiting the well by herself much later in the day. As we read her conversation with Jesus, it becomes clear that the reason she is there alone is that she has been excluded from her community because of her lifestyle. She has been shunned.

So imagine: around the well are Jesus, His disciples, and the woman. Jesus, the Son of God. His disciples – men who were used to speaking and teaching. And the woman, who we know at the time was considered an outcast from her community.

Yet the woman did not ask these more eloquent and respected men to go into her town and share her story. It says she “left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village.”

When you believe other people are better than you at sharing Jesus, you forget that no one is better at talking to your people than you. Only you are uniquely positioned to reach those in your world. You’ve given time and attention to your relationships and these people know and trust you, so when you share your story they listen.

When I first became a Christian, I talked about Jesus to pretty much everyone, but as the years rolled on, that sense of urgency was stifled by life’s duties and distractions. Yet there are people all around me, every day, desperate for hope and security. So I’m asking myself: Why aren’t I telling these people about Jesus, the only source of the hope and security they’re longing for?

Romans 10:11-15 ESV – For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”  For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.  For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?  And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

Another reason you may believe other people are better at sharing their stories than you is because you don’t believe you have one. We’ve all been gobsmacked by sensational testimonies of drug addicts turned church planters. Maybe you grew up in a Christian home and gave your life to Jesus at Sunday school when you were six years old. Your faith story feels boring and unremarkable, yet it’s just as miraculous, relevant, and worth hearing as any other. Some of your Christian friends or leaders no doubt have equally boring and unremarkable salvation stories, and that surely hasn’t invalidated their influence in your life. Your faith story (whether simple or sensational) can eternally impact someone else’s life.

1 Peter 3:15-16 ESV – but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.

Jesus has called you to share His good news, and there’s no one better than you to reach the people in your world. May you take courage from the truth that His mercies are new every morning, and He is continuously transforming your life with His living hope. May you recognise every opportunity in your everyday life to humbly, gently, bravely, and naturally share your supernatural story with clarity, confidence, and conviction.