What If No One Does?

Anybody that is a youth minister, teacher, or Sunday school volunteer knows that one of the hurdles you have to jump through while teaching your youth group is silly questions during the lesson. When you have a room full of teens more often than not you get questions like, “if I punch my sister in the face it’s not a sin because she’s an alien, right?” or “Maggie keeps looking at me, can you tell her to stop?” Of course there’s always  your entire class asking if they can go to the bathroom all at once, right after we’ve returned from that very same bathroom. But every once in a while, you get a serious, striking, and important question.

            Last week during class, following some silly and unrelated questions, one student asked me, “what about the girl I know at school who doesn’t believe in God, I’m too scared to tell her about him. What if no one does?” The class fell silent instantly, and all the sudden no one was talking about their “alien” sibling. I knew this moment was what I wanted to write about in my blog post, as it seemed more than fitting following a month of KLRC promoting the act of sharing the station with fellow friends and family members.

            When answering my student’s question, it felt like all the air was sucked out of our classroom. I explained to my students that it’s so important to witness to others, even when they’re uncomfortable. We talked about the idea that we, as individuals, may be the person God placed in someone’s life to share his good news. We discussed that not a single one of us should place priority on ignoring our discomfort rather than introducing someone to our Heavenly Father. We discussed intentionality. God didn’t place any of us randomly, we are intended to be a light to those around us. This notion is illustrated really well in Matthew Chapter 5

14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (NIV)

After answering questions related to this idea with my students I gave them this piece of advice: speak to every person as though no one else will ever tell them who Jesus is, because maybe no one will. But, we can. So friend, I encourage you, speak to those that need the truth knowing God intentionally placed you near them, and if you don’t share what you know to be true, what if no one does?

Alexus (KLRC Sunday Evening Host)