Use Me

I'm not good with words. I've always been a better listener than talker. I've always felt a little bad about not being very open about God. I've admired how some people can just go up to a total stranger (or worse, someone they know) and start sharing about their faith. I'm blown away when those encounters end with prayer and "leading to Christ".

Friday evening, our church held a youth/young adult concert. The pastor said something that really stuck with me. He said that our job is only to sow seeds. We can't make someone come to Christ, and honestly, it's not in our power to change lives. Only God does that. He said, "Actions speak louder than words, but actions and words speak the loudest."

"Actions speak louder than words, but actions and words speak the loudest."

Wow, that struck a chord with me. Until then, I'd always gotten the jitters about sharing (kind of like when I had to do speeches in school...I was terrified I'd vomit all over the front row). What stopped me was - what if I can't say it right? What if they ask me something and I don't know the answer? What if they aren't interested and I look like a loser? What if I say something wrong? I figured that if I couldn't carry it through from start to finish, then it would be best not even to start.
It got me to thinking, though, that maybe I had my role wrong. As the pastor said, all you have to do is sow seeds. God will take care of rain. He'll worry about the harvest. Just sow a seed.
So, I'm trying to sow. Inviting friends to special events at church. Name dropping (like, "I was at church yesterday, and..." or "My pastor said something cool the other day..."). Mentionning that I'll pray for someone. Even just sincerely being interested in people and being friendly. Those things make a difference.
My prayer that night was pretty simple - use me. Use ME. Not use someone I wish I was, or use me the way other people work. Use Me, as I am. That's all I can do, and I think that's a start.