What Do You Talk About?

Scripture Reading — John 4:7-20, 28-30

Jesus declared, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.”
— John 4:13-14

When I meet people and they find out what I do for a living, they sometimes launch into a religious conversation. Before long, they can get surprisingly deep into the differences between religious backgrounds.

At the well in Samaria, Jesus and the woman he met got talking about religion. Jesus invited her to wonder about “the gift of God,” about who he (Jesus) was, and about what he had come to offer. Long story short, his grace collided with her shame, her defenses crumbled, and the Lord changed her life. By the end of that day a wave of grace had rolled through her entire town.

Christ’s work in our lives is central for us all. Yet it can be surprisingly difficult to discuss that with others, so we tend to play a sort of spiritual hide-and-seek game. Why? Sometimes we’re uncomfortable talking about personal matters, even with close friends. Other times we may honestly feel that we don’t have much to say. We may have heard about God’s salvation so often that it seems commonplace in our lives and sort of “goes without saying.” This can be true for a lot of people who go to church.

It can be important to talk about our religious views. But what really counts is sharing with others what Christ is doing in our lives and how he is changing us, making us new.

When was the last time you talked about these things?

Lord, help me to share my faith authentically, focusing on what you have done in my life. Give me courage to speak of your work with honesty and love. Amen.

Written by: Ron Vanderwell