As a class we spent the past week reading through the book Just Walk Across the Room by Bill Hybels. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the thoughts, the concepts and the challenges it brought. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to learn more about sharing their faith and how to go about it. Hybels focuses mainly on leaving your “circle of comfort” and jumping into the “zone of the unknown”-scary, I know- The thing is, is that you don’t know what will happen when the circle of comfort is broken and you walk across the room, what amazing things might take place with the Spirit leading. I have been blessed to have opportunities to share my testimony and faith to some amazing audiences. What I struggle with is sharing my testimony one on one with someone else. How much do I share? Do I just start at the beginning? How much time do they have to spare? Hybels does a very solid job of explaining the power of a story. What are the characteristics of a “good” story and what are the characteristics of a “bad” one? I am learning to keep my testimony short and sweet, be aware of my audience and what they would get out of it, and leave room for questions. He also touched on the importance of each of our stories, he says, “God made you exactly as you are. He wired you and gave you the temperament and the experience and the background that you have because he wanted someone just like you in this world right now.” Are you going through your day looking for spots in the “zone of the unknown”?
As I was reading, I kept having thoughts on where do I begin, how do I even know where the “zones of the unknown” are, will I know when I have an opportunity? Did I miss some opportunities? As much as I was worrying about these little things, I had an opportunity this past weekend to share my testimony with my small group. I kept it short and sweet, said the important parts and actually did it in about eight minutes. The girls asked questions afterward and I felt I got my main points across. I am excited for times in the future where I hope I can “walk across the room” for someone and make adifference.
I’m going to leave you with a challenge from Hybels, “I challenge you to take the risk to sideline your own agenda and discover other people’s stories no matter how uncomfortable you get, how awkward the situation becomes, or how heavy the sin is that you’re sorting through them.”
This is my last post for this class, but I plan to continue this blog, it helps me sort through things, gives me accountability and I hope helps you who are reading it. God bless all of you, and thanks for reading it, get excited, God does amazing things!
