I’m currently in Washington D.C. for a funeral. The events and interactions with others surrounding a funeral are often interesting because funerals inherently remind people that life as we know it on this earth has a distinct beginning and a distinct end. My wife and I have been praying a lot about the situation we’re in because we are aware that it is also a unique opportunity to share the Good News of salvation and true life through the work accomplished by Jesus Christ. We’re actively looking for any opportunity to speak truth about God, the Bible, eternity, the finished work of Christ on the cross, heaven and hell, etc.

(enter “M”)

“M” works the front desk at the hotel that my family is residing in while in D.C. “M” is about 5’1 inches tall, but her personality makes her seem about 6’5. “M” has never met a stranger, so when my father-in-law and I approached her at the front desk, we were no different. When I asked “M” where she was originally from she told us Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – a city that I’ve been to in a country that I have fond affections for. And when “M” had heard that a ministry opportunity had taken me to Ethiopia before, “M” and I quickly transitioned from being friends to me being a part of her family.

You see, prior to hearing that I was a pastor, “M” had already spoken boldly to my father-in-law and I about her God. Once she realized the door was open to really talk about her faith, “M” didn’t miss that opportunity. I commended her for her boldness. “M” then reminisced about a co-worker who once told her “she talks too much about her religion at work.” And “M” proceeded to tell my father-in-law and I exactly what she told that co-worker, “Jesus was not quiet when he died on a cross for her, so she would not be quiet either!” Which she followed with a very self-assured “Am I right?!” Who’s going to disagree with 6’5 “M”?!

After my interaction with “M” I immediately thought of the passage in 2 Timothy 1 where the apostle Paul reminds his young apprentice, “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord…” (vv. 7–8).  Although I do believe that it is good to have a heightened sensitivity to certain situations such as births, deaths, life crises, etc. where we may be given unique opportunities to boldly proclaim our faith, I long to become more like my sister “M” who doesn’t just look for opportunities, she makes them.

This passage in 2 Timothy doesn’t just remind us to be bold in courageous in general, we, as Christ-followers, are commissioned to be bold and courageous in “testifying about our Lord.” Testifying does not demand that we club people over the head with our Bible knowledge. Rather, the word in its context insinuates that our responsibility is to give witness to what we know about our Lord. “M” doesn’t seem concerned with an evangelism method or formula; instead she seems to know her Lord so dearly that she cannot help but talk about Him and her hope in His promises. I think that we can learn a lot from faithful people like her. After all, as Christ-followers, we’ve been promised a spirit of power within us.