There was this moment in my life when everything clicked. Not the moment when I accepted Christ, but the moment when I accepted His mission for my life. As believers we need to have a sense of urgency. There are some people who have believed they were a Christian their entire life. I was one of those people but never had a sense of urgency until recently. I came to know Christ in my 8th grade year. Everything clicked in my freshman year of high school however. I went on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic with my youth group. The pastor’s wife, Mrs. Sarah, forced me to play a role in a skit where this woman was absolutely devastated because her husband died in action. And there was a scene where I had to scream at the top of my lungs. The only thing going through my mind was “People are going to think I’m weird, and they are going to stare... Blah blah blah blah.”

After many attempts of pathetically screaming, Mrs. Sarah pulled me aside and said, “Scream." I let out a pathetic yell and she said, “No. Like this.” And she lets out this blood curtailing scream and everyone is looking at us. “Do it!” (she was yelling by now). I had no idea why she was making this such a big deal. I finally let out a wailing scream that met her standards. She calmly said to me, “If you’re going to claim to be devastated, you better make everyone believe it.” And with that she walked away.

In that moment I finally got it. We need to scream the Gospel. We need to boldly proclaim the name of Jesus. If we claim to be a follower of Christ, then why is it so easy for us to go to school, our work place, even our homes without anybody knowing? Why are we so focused on the opinions of others? If a minute of awkwardness can turn into a lifetime of joy with Jesus for someone else, then count me in! But that’s where my biggest regret comes in...

I didn’t start taking this life changing news to my school until my senior year. I didn’t really start making a difference until it was just about over. It wasn’t until I realized that I let high school pass me by, which was a time I could have made a difference, that everything truly clicked. Now I’m graduated and going into my first year of college and I am determined not to make the same mistake twice. I hope you don’t make the same mistake.

Don’t let opportunities pass you by. If you see an opportunity to share the Gospel, go for it! You have nothing to lose, but much to gain!

Most important, love people. If you are randomly nice to people, they will be curious as to why! That, my friends, is an excellent loophole to share the Gospel. Don’t rely on yourself for courage and strength. If you do that, I’m going to tell you right now that you will fail! Rely on Jesus and Jesus alone!

“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power , love and self-discipline. So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.” - 2 Tim. 1:7-8

Remember if you scream with all you got, people will look at you. They will notice something different, but that is no reason to stop. That is a reason to keep going. God bless!