Susan LaffertyPreconceived outcome looms. Hinders. Weakens the witness. “Do you believe this is true?” A simple question. One I can ask after sharing the gospel. But everything in my mind braces for resistance, remembering frequent rejections. Anxious thoughts pile up. Expecting the “no.”
“I didn’t think God should say that.” I remember the look on her face. The raw honesty of her words. Skipping truth because it entered a place of brokenness in her life.
The memory floods in as I ponder the importance of handling the Word of God rightly. With integrity. In study and proclamation.
Studying passages in context. In the whole counsel of Scripture. And together with other believers.
We’ve lived in places of extraordinary beauty. The spectacular so commonplace in my daily view that I forget what I have. Right in front of me.
Then there are the other places. The hard, trashed out, desert places. No electricity on the hottest days. Water shortages. Just plain, hard living.
I forget in those settings too. Forget to look for the beauty.
In my last post, I shared part of that journey to find it even in the unlikely places.
And through a variety of countries and cultures along the way, I’ve learned a few simple things.