Overcomplicating Evangelization

My dear friend and I sat across from one another in the coffee shop. In between sips of my mocha, I gushed about the precious homemade Valentine card—complete with my initials glitter-glued on the front—that I had received this year. I shared how easy it was to talk to this man I had been dating, and I even spilled that I think I might want to spend the rest of my life loving him.

When we really love someone, we can’t help but tell other people what we have experienced. Oh, that our love for the Lord would be of the head-over-heels variety!

Our relationship with the Lord, of course, has potential like no other earthly relationship. Saint John the Baptist certainly knew this, and he devoted his life to proclaiming the Lord and sharing the Good News about Him. We aren’t all called to be Saint John the Baptist, but we are all called to evangelize, to spread and preach the Gospel.

Sometimes I fear sounding "too religious,” or not wanting to be pushy with my own beliefs. But if I’m honest, I overcomplicate it. I dearly love Jesus. So why am I not quicker to tell everyone I love about how amazing He is?

This Advent I am pondering this question in my heart. I invite you to join me, sisters. Do I simply need more courage? Maybe greater boldness in sharing how the Lord has changed my life?

Or perhaps what I really need is to spend more time in prayer with the One I love, growing in relationship with the Lover of my—and your—soul.

The more I “prepare the way of the Lord” in my own heart—the more I know Him, His character, and how great His love for me—I simply won’t be able to keep from sharing with others about the wonders He has done.

We are all called to evangelize, to spread and preach the Gospel. // @inendlesssongClick to tweet

The spiritual director for Blessed is She spoke on the Kerygma and it's outstanding.

Elise Howe is a wife, mother, vocal artist, teacher, and writer. A lover of authentic beauty, Elise is most joyful when creating with the inspiration of the Divine Artist. A born-and-raised Midwestern gal, she happily resides in Michigan after several years "living the dream" in New York City. Elise has a heart for ministry, dark chocolate (but not too dark) and coffee with a generous amount of cream + sugar. She is a contributing author to our Works of Mercy Study: Misericordia. Find out more about her here.