Christians love to approach evangelism from the angle of the "God-shaped whole", namely that each of us has a God-shaped whole in our hearts that nothing else will fill. And until we find our personal relationship with Jesus, we will walk around feeling the gaping emptiness of this whole.
While it's true that outside of God, there is nothing that truly satisfies, a lot of us (especially those who have been insulated in some form of Christian bubble) forget that there are a lot of things out there that do satisfy – at least partially.
Don't believe me?
Ask the scriptures. In Luke 6 verse 25, Jesus begins a statement with, "What sorrows await you who are satisfied and prosperous now..." (NIV).
Jesus addresses something that often we, his followers, like to forget: There are actually people who are satisfied with their lives outside of God.
This baffles us who have known the taste of the living water; who understand what it feels like to truly be known, covered, protected, and loved. Often, in our inability to understand satisfaction outside of Christ, we disregard it.
We box it, label it as denial, and continue with our efforts to convince these people that despite what they think, they aren't actually satisfied. Because you can't be happy without Jesus, right?
Well actually, according to Jesus, you can.
The sooner we understand and acknowledge that the non-believers we encounter might genuinely be happy in the lives they lead, the more powerful our ability to witness to them becomes.
Personally, I would not be a Christian right now if all that had ever been said to me has been, "there's a whole in your life that needs filling. Let me tell you how." Because before I knew Christ, I didn't feel the whole. At all.
When speaking to non-believers, it is important for us to remember that though the way we feel is important and living life with Jesus often feels very fulfilling, feeling fulfilled is not the point of our faith.
The gospel is true all the time, at every stage of life, and in every emotional situation. Laying our emotions aside and focusing on the truth of the gospel will be powerful in our ability to witness to those who are far from God.
As Paul writes in 1 Peter 3 verse 15, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have."
Tina Hakimi is an Arizona-raised, Sydney-based writer who doesn't know what to put in her byline and asks too many questions.
Tina Hakimi's previous articles may be viewed at
www.pressserviceinternational.org/tina-hakimi.html