By: yesHEis
As a Christian, you’re often told that you should get excited when people ask you about your faith—like it’s the best thing that could ever happen to you. But… if instead of excitement you feel dread, anxiety or shame, you’re not alone.
Sharing your faith can be a stressful experience for many reasons. Maybe:
- You get stressed because your Bible knowledge isn’t what it should be
- You haven’t been to church in months and feel distant from God
- There’s a specific sin you’re still struggling with
- You just don’t feel good enough
Sometimes, we think that our sins or imperfections make us unqualified to share the gospel. If you struggle with feelings of unworthiness, having someone ask you “so what has Jesus done in your life?” can be awkward. You might feel like a fake, or a fraud—as though your sinful thoughts or habits cancel out any previous work Jesus has done in your life.
Church culture usually doesn’t help, either. For centuries, many Christian denominations have—consciously or not—upheld arbitrary standards of “perfection” that Christians should aspire to, which might make you feel like you’re not good enough to be loved by God.
This is all one massive, poisonous lie, and it’s actually a fundamental misunderstanding of what the gospel message is. The gospel isn’t that Jesus has made you perfect. It’s that even though you are a sinner, Jesus died for you and chooses to love you, every millisecond of every day (Romans 5:8). And nothing you can do will ever change that (Romans 8:39)!
The Gospel is For You, Too!
It’s tempting to believe that the gospel is for others, but not for us. This is toxic thinking, and simply not true! The Bible says that when Jesus died at Easter time, He “personally carried our sins in his body on the cross” (1 Peter 2:24).
In other words, Jesus—being fully God and fully human—carried all the sins committed by every person on earth. That includes you! He has seen and felt all your insecurities, shame, trauma, jealousy, self-hatred and selfishness. As humans, we can’t fully understand this. Our human bodies limit the amount of physical and emotional pain we can carry. But carried all of it. He knows every intimate detail about you, and He still loves you infinitely.
So, what was that you said about not feeling “good enough”? If the Creator of the universe thought you were good enough to die for, then you’re good enough to do anything! (Yes, even share your faith).
Here are some things to remember next time you feel unworthy:
Remember the Gospel Message is for YOU!
Despite your sin, God loves you infinitely. That’s the real good news! It can be tempting to think that it only applies to other people . . . but nope! The gospel is for you too.
Remember That you Don’t Have to Fix Yourself
By universal standards, humans are imperfect beings. And there is nothing we can do to change that (John 3:6-7). God is the only one capable of changing us from the inside out. Trust that He’s in control of that process.
Seek Jesus in Prayer
Take some quiet time and tell Jesus how you feel. Ask Him for forgiveness and a new heart (Psalm 51:10), and thank Him for loving you no matter what.
Be Honest When you Tell Your Story
Opening up and honestly telling your friend, “Jesus has done so much in my life, but I still struggle and have a way to go” is far more encouraging than pretending to be perfect. It makes God’s love accessible to everyone.
If you’ve been feeling discouraged because you believe your sin makes you unqualified to share Jesus, take heart this Easter. God took your sin to the cross. You’ve been forgiven. Just as He rose from death to life, He wants to give you a new life free of sin (Ezekiel 36:26). Pray that God will give you a new heart this Easter, and that the Holy Spirit will be with you as you share, even the messy bits.
Article supplied with thanks to yesHEis
About the Author: yesHEis provides various resources to help share your faith in relatable ways.
Feature image: Photo by Nijwam Swargiary on Unsplash