I listened to her say with some frustration and maybe a tinge of guilt how her quiet nature lessened her impact on a friend of hers. She wants to share hope with this friend, share her faith but this friend is rather outspoken and a little intimidating. I tried to encourage her – the way she is is enough and God uses her, quietness and all. Her friend has seen her interact with others, have a great relationship with her husband and kids, and more. She’s seen my friend show integrity, gentleness, faith, kindness, and more. There are many ways to share Jesus besides talking. Like St. Francis of Assisi once said, we should preach the Gospel and if necessary use words.
I can relate to that self-doubt or frustration and I’m sure you can, too. From the time we’re old enough to think we hear and sometimes believe lies about how we’re not good enough, not smart enough, not outgoing enough, not funny enough – the list goes on and on and on…
Someone in my extended family has been dealing with some labels and judgmental attitudes from some other people in his life and as I heard about it, I got angry. No person, no matter how “good” or “experienced” or “wise” has the right to judge another person. How does that help anyway? Continue reading
