How to "how to"?

In years past, I have spent much energy being frustrated with a lack of instruction. I would read books or listen to sermons that would espouse all sorts of direction about the ideals of life, the guidance of the word and the importance of the pursuit of righteous living. Yet, so often, I would leave these times of teaching with a feeling that what was said was great, and that I agreed with it (mentally), but that I had absolutely no idea how to do it...how to live it, or live into it.

As I've been writing this blog, I've learned that it is really really easy to prattle on about what I am personally pursuing, without ever giving thought to mentioning the how.

In part, what I have learned is that the "how" is something I sometimes have to figure out for myself. Sometimes, my "how" looks completely different from the how of a friend. We each have our own paths, our own relationships with God and our own selves. So, sometimes, the how is wholly unique.

At the same time, I have learned that there are many good teachers who share about their own approaches and that, sometimes, my approach is influenced and shaped by using theirs as a guidepost.

With that in mind, I've been looking lately at my own realization that I had put a lot of faith in my own plans, and not put much energy toward the Lord's direction in one particular area of my life. I simply wasn't conceding control to Him; I had not yet come to that place of yield. Or, rather, I'd perhaps been there, but had packed up my things and carried on my merry way alone for some time now.

I've continued to write & pray about how important it is that I repent (simply: stop & reverse course). Yet, I have been asking myself, "How do I do that?" What does it look like?

So, this will be a two-part posting... First, today, I want to focus on the importance of understanding and sharing my own how-to.

When I walk through the halls of my (largely unbelieving) office, the halls of my home, or even the halls of my church, I have a million opportunities to demonstrate to others what it means to be a follow of Jesus. And I could wax poetic for hours about the amazing impact that decision has had on my life and how valuable it is every day. Yet, if there is no clear way for me to share with someone how they can do that too, I lose a lot of opportunity for effective witness.

It's often discussed that we, as believers, ALL should know how to share about our faith and lead others towards Christ and salvation. Yet, many of us feel intimidated by and afraid of this prospect. Our pastor at church likes to say, "if you don't know how to tell someone about Jesus, just invite them to church and I'll do it for you!" His offer is a generous one; many of us don't know how. And I fully admit that, at times, I have no idea myself.

What I will say is that I have found it much more effective to tell someone what I have done and how it has worked for me, rather than telling them what they should do. I admit 100% that I have no real idea what's "best" for me in the big picture of life, and I wouldn't put on the airs of saying I could tell you what's best for you either. That's not really my job in many ways. What I can do, however, is tell you where I've been, tell you how Jesus has changed my life and tell you what it looks like for me to follow Him today...and of course, what that means for my life and its direction on a daily basis. And hopefully I can live out for you in a million ways the blessing of living committed to Him.

I find that this method of communication is also much better received. When I am telling you about me, I come from a place of sincere humility. This is just my story. If I start to tell you what you should do, I step into a place I'm not often supposed to be. So I try not to go there. Don't get me wrong; we all have advice and wisdom to share, and that kind of relationship is part of the picture of friendship, love and commitment demonstrated in the Bible. I just try to keep proper perspective about how I live that out.

So, if you've been kind enough to forgive my rambling, I will wrap up for today. I invite you to consider the "how" of your faith. What does it look like? In your outward practice (quiet time, church attendance, service, etc)? How does it impact the way you make decisions? The way you prioritize your time? The way you look at the world around you - in micro view? These are the things that, when demonstrated, are powerful witness to the world around us. When demonstrated and then articulated to an inquiring friend, they can help clarify things that it may otherwise take much more seeking to understand.

So, I ask you to consider...how? How do you do it?