I was reading in a busy church coffee shop when a young woman, drawn by the cute cat design on my t-shirt, plopped onto the sofa next to me.
“I have a black cat too!” she said.
She was wearing business casual attire, her slim wrists encircled by pretty dainty bracelets, her face so carefully made up that she looked as if she wasn’t wearing makeup at all. I found her to be quite charmingly attractive.
As we shared photos of our cats, she mentioned that she was in graduate school for the performing arts. I shared that my stepdaughter works in the same field and had for many years. Our talk turned to career challenges, and I grumbled about how political correctness often drives casting decisions. She quickly replied that if my stepdaughter was a Christian, God would overcome that for her. Smiling, I told her that my stepdaughter had won first place in an international competition in Russia, only to have her prize money split with the Chinese contestant due to diplomatic pressures. That shook my new friend a bit.
“The world is the world,” I said. “We can’t expect it to stop being the world.”
Changing the subject, she said that she was torn between a career in the performing arts or the ministry. I didn’t say it aloud, but in many instances the two paths were distressingly similar. I suggested she consider taking the gospel to the world where it is needed the most, rather than adding to the many already in professional ministry.
My suggestion seemed to make her uncomfortable, and after a brief pause, things grew awkward. She excused herself to join the second service in the auditorium.
Later, I wondered if I had been too blunt. Maybe I should have just encouraged her dreams? Then I recalled the strong impression I had before leaving for church. I was certain that God wanted me to change my dressy top for the t-shirt with the black cat peeking out – a choice that sparked our conversation.
Maybe I didn’t handle the conversation perfectly. Maybe I failed to accurately express what God wanted said. But I know that God uses imperfect messengers, and I think He will get His message across in spite of my shortcomings. Perhaps you are an imperfect messenger like me, wondering if you can effectively share God’s message. If you are, I encourage you to gather your courage and take His good news into all the world anyway.
And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Mark 16:15
God bless and keep you,
Susan
