Honest Christian Conversations
A weekly podcast dealing with cultural and spiritual issues within the Christian faith.
Honest Christian Conversations
Should A Christian Talk To Someone Who Disagrees With Their Values? (MINISODE)
Doubt can feel like a locked door—especially when you want to help but don’t know what to say. Today, I'm honest about missed chances, the fear of “not knowing enough,” and the surprising power of small, ordinary acts to carry hope farther than perfect words ever could. With Constance Hastings’ provocative book, The Trouble with Jesus: Considerations Before Walking Away, as a spark, I explore how to walk with people who are questioning without turning every moment into a debate.
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Hey friends, welcome back to another mini sode. I'm so excited to be back with you. First of all, I would like to say a special thank you to those who have been supportive of the podcast, whether it's monetarily or just your comments and your feedback. I have appreciated it. It keeps me going on this journey. There's show notes links for you. If you have a review, if you want to donate to the podcast, if you want to leave a message for me and get a shout out on the next episode. What did you think of this episode with Constance Hastings? The Trouble with Jesus. Ooh, that is such a provocative title. I love the title of her book. The subtitle is even better Considerations Before Walking Away. Isn't that just a really profound book? And she says she wrote it for those who are doubting. There's just so many people out there who are doubting, who are angry and bitter and hurting, and they're blaming God. And they're blaming Jesus. Jesus is a divisive figure. We can't forget that. He even said in the Bible that he came to divide. I enjoyed talking with Constance. She's a wealth of knowledge, very gentle spirit, has such a heart for those who are struggling in their faith, who don't know what to do. And I I've been recently thinking a lot about how I've missed a lot of opportunities to be there for people who are doubting. Not just myself. I had my doubts too, and I just shoved them down deep and didn't do anything about it until I was much older. But I'm not talking about my own doubts. I'm talking about others. My oldest, I didn't know just how much she was struggling to trust God, and now she's not even following God. There's been people I've worked with at different jobs that weren't believers. Maybe they were struggling too. Maybe they had a situation where they had a bad taste in their mouth from the church. I have missed so many opportunities to share the gospel with people because of my own doubts and my own worries and being in my head so much. I don't know if you can relate, but that is one of the reasons why I've been afraid to share the gospel with anybody. I don't know enough. I feel ill-equipped. I'm nervous. I don't like confrontation. What if they have doubts? What am I going to do? What if their doubts make me doubt? We have to stop with the what-ifs and the worries and just trust that God is going to do what God is going to do if you're obedient in that situation. And that's what I'm trying to work on now. I wouldn't necessarily say that I've had opportunities recently to truly share my faith, although it's funny. I was walking around the casino because I was going to meet my husband for lunch at Wahlberg's. And my son and I were going on the elevator to meet up with him. And there was a woman in there. She didn't know what she was doing. She hadn't been to the casino in a long time. So I just helped her. I wandered around with her to help her figure out where she was going. And I showed her where she needed to go. And I was just kind and gracious to her, talking, asking her questions. When was the last time you were there? And she did at one point use Jesus' name in vain, which really almost viscerally made me twitch, but I didn't say anything about it. And I just kept walking with her. At the end, we found my husband. I introduced her to him, told him that I was going to go help her figure out where she's going and I'd meet him at the restaurant. Well, I went and I helped her. I gave her a hug and I said, God bless you. I hope you have a wonderful time. And she said, Thank you so much. You could tell how happy she was. She didn't feel alone. And she just left and that was it. But man, was that a huge thing for me to do because I am an introvert. I don't talk to random people that I don't know. And I certainly don't walk with them and make conversation like that. But that was God moving, I could tell. And I'm trying to push myself past my comfort zone because I want to be able to be there for those who are struggling. I want to be somebody who shares the gospel unashamed and is not afraid to talk to people who might disagree. That's what we all need to do. But I do feel ill-equipped to do it because I've never had to deal with people not agreeing with me. And it's funny, I had somebody on my YouTube channel for the podcast comment back and forth with me for a little bit about things. And it felt trollish, but I do appreciate that they at least were open and honest with me on their position. In the end, it came down to me having to let it go because it clearly wasn't going to go anywhere. But I did tell them that I would be praying for them. I want to do more to help those who are struggling, like I used to, whether they're Christians who are on the verge of leaving the church or those who left the church already and are still struggling in life. I want to be able to be there for them. I want to share my story with them easily. And I want to not be hampered by this nagging feeling of I'm not good enough. I can't do this. I don't have the skills. It's not about me. I'm not going to be the one who changes hearts. It's God. And that's what I need to remember. That's what you need to remember. So your challenge for this week is to share your story with somebody. You don't have to go up to just some rando and say, hey, let me tell you my story. If you feel God telling you to do that, then by all means do it. But you don't have to go do that. Just have a natural conversation with somebody. Step out of your comfort zone and tell somebody your story and listen to them for their story as well. That is also important. I hope this has encouraged you. Listen to the episode with Constance Hastings if you haven't. And also make sure you share it with people you know who have doubts in God and maybe are walking away from the faith. I know we all probably know at least one person who is, if it's not us. So God bless. Talk to you again later.
