Prophet - in his own home
- Gary Fritsch
- Aug 1
- 2 min read
Those of you who know my backstory a little bit know that I have lived significant periods of my life away from The Lord and His ways. People don't forget this, and it is hard for them ever to see you differently than when you were living your worst life among them. Think about it, Jesus - the very Son of God, wielding wisdom and miracles couldn't overcome even a benign prior life as a carpenter and local boy.
I am, for the most part, accepting of this reality. Where it is hard is among my family in my own home. While they are accepting that I am different now, they still would not seek counsel or guidance in the faith from me. Certainly, when I first started down this road, home was not the place where I would receive the warmest welcome for my newfound words of faith. So, I found other places, just as Jesus did.
This is my encouragement to all of you. If you think people in your home or workplace or circle of friends would look at you sideways if you started speaking openly about Jesus and your faith in Him, then go to a place where your words will not only be accepted but welcomed. This is part of the function of your local church faith community. It is the practice field, the proving ground for our faith-filled Christian dialogue.
Beginning to speak our hearts in the places where our words are accepted will give us the comfort level and confidence to speak them in the places where they might not be (in our own homes). In our homes, they may not always be received, but hopefully people at least love you and will tolerate it. Once you tackle this, then perhaps you might occasionally speak of Jesus in places where your words might be unwelcome. Maybe not. That is not everyone's call, but we should prepare ourselves nonetheless.
As St. Peter tells us in 1 Peter 3:15: "Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope" Speak these reasons among those who will listen so that you might become comfortable and accustomed with sharing and prepared to give your explanation when the time comes.
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