As a young mom, I quickly learned that the success of any trip out of the house depended on how prepared I was. Water bottle—Check! Goldfish crackers—Check! Baby wipes, coloring crayons, Matchbox cars—Check, check, check! With each outing, my backpack was filled with proven tools that solve (or at least soothe) any situation I might encounter. Having these items with me gave me confidence for the outing.
“Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:14-15).
How does one prepare to make a defense? What gives someone the confidence to respond? The Apostle Peter reveals that when Christ is the central focus of your life and honored as such in the posture of your heart, you can have confidence because transformation is taking place.
When the holiness of God changes fear into faith, anger into love, bitterness into compassion, perversions into purity, or isolation into connectedness, there is so much experience of hope that it can’t help but flow out of you! Yes, words matter, but so do the embodied changes experienced by others in your tone, posture, and actions. Your experience of being continually transformed into Christ’s likeness is your preparation. And your metaphorical backpack gets filled with practices like prayer, study, meditation, memorization of Scripture, commitment to community, and obedience to living out love as Jesus did.
While as a mom, I may have packed and carried items that I never utilized, this is never the case when it comes to carrying Christ. He’s what people need. Be prepared and bring Him with you.
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” (2 Corinthians 4:7-9).
Jessica Klootwyk
Discipleship Director