by Jordyn van Gaalen

Living Boldly

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking this SoundCloud link.

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.”
Romans 1:16 (NIV)

I remember a day when I was a little girl and I tagged along with my dad to meet a potential renter for a home. I was sitting in our little Volvo car as my dad showed the man around the property. We had a kids’ worship CD in the car that I was listening to while I waited. I formed this bold idea to crank up the volume as loud as I could. The song was, of course, “Shout to the Lord,” because this was the late 90’s / early 2000’s era. The thought in my six-year-old head was that maybe the man would hear the song and come to know Jesus. 

As I look back, I can see what a naive and slightly obnoxious method I had attempted. (An approach I got reprimanded for later because I didn’t explain my missional intentions.)

I’ve come to laugh and find joy in that memory. But the other day I had a new reflection on it. 

Why is it that I’ve lost that boldness? 

Where did that boldness to shout to the Lord and have a desire to bring anyone and everyone to know Jesus go? The boldness to speak and act, without considering the consequences or “embarrassment” or unknown outcome. As I’ve gotten older I’ve come to worry about the “what-if’s” and focus more on my inadequacies and insecurities.  

Boldness for the Gospel, in that childlike faith, takes practice. The practice of waking up each day with a mind to embrace the people we meet and the circumstances we face in constant remembrance of what Christ has done for us. Each day can be a stepping stone toward living in a bolder way. Living in a posture of stepping out of comfort zones and proclaiming the name of Jesus in words and in action. When the truth of Christ dying in my place is at the forefront of my mind, it puts everything else in perspective. 

It is not by my own strength, for I know this is beyond my comfort zone, beyond my natural inclination, beyond my instincts. It is the power of God working in and through us. We are all unique, and this boldness — the Holy Spirit witnessing through us — to proclaim the Gospel, will not look the same. God will creatively and extraordinarily work through our circumstances, our vocations, our geographic location, and our personalities in a way that brings glory to His name.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado