FIRST GLIMPSE: Are You "Wearing" Your Faith?

The cross-shaped pin could only be described as ornate: large, with hand-trimmed silver inlaid with various bright gemstones. I don’t think I ever saw the elderly deacon in our Central Florida church without it. Sometimes on his tie. Sometimes on his lapel. But always present.

As an imaginative second grader, I found the ornate piece fascinating. After reading (and re-reading) Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, I couldn’t help but picture the bejeweled cross on a tri-cornered pirate’s hat. And, if I squinted just right at the deacon, with his seamed, granite-like face and stiff, waxed mustache, I could almost picture him at the wheel of an old sailing ship like Long John Silver, face to the wind, staring off into the horizon, tie pin sparkling in the sunshine. (Yep, I had—and still have—a vivid imagination.)

One Sunday, after working up my nerve, I asked him why he always wore the pin. His craggy face broke into a smile as he said, “I’m wearing my faith.”

As a good preacher’s kid, I nodded and smiled. But I certainly didn’t understand. Years later, as my own faith grew and developed, and I began to share the gospel myself, I began to understand what this faithful man was saying. His cross pin was a constant symbol of an ever-present faith. A faith he shared openly with anyone who would listen.

It’s a good reminder. Sharing the gospel and making disciples is a biblical mandate for every Christian:

• Without apology (Romans 1:16)
  

• Everywhere we go (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:16-20)
  

• With everyone we meet (1 Corinthians 9:18-23)
  

• In every situation (Colossians 4:5-6)
  

Recently, a designer friend illustrated how this looks on a practical level when she shared the following in a group email:

Guess what? Today’s my birthday! And not just any birthday—my 40th. Many people, it seems, dread this birthday, but me? I’ve been looking forward to it. My 30s were great: married, welcomed two handsome baby boys, bought our first house, bought our second (and, Lord-willing, last) house, adopted two dogs, began working for myself. It’s been a good decade! Not every day was sunshine and roses (here’s lookin’ at you, sleepless nights with newborns), but mostly, life has been good.

That said, I’d planned to write a blog post to commemorate the day, something eloquent and heartfelt about life’s lessons. Well, LIFE got in the way, and the blog post wasn’t written—not even an outline. Working at home with preschoolers is indeed a blessing, but it also means prioritizing. The blog post simply hasn’t been a priority. So, here’s a brief email instead. I hope your week is going well and hope to talk to you all soon.

P.S. Those life lessons? Any anecdote I could share boils down to this: I can do nothing without Jesus Christ. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Anything good in my life is a direct gift from Him, and He’s used the bad things to reveal more about Himself and to shape me to look more like Jesus. I’m very much a work in progress, but oh so grateful!

Wow! Her simple, powerful testimony stopped me in my tracks and made me thank God for the gospel, both to save and sustain through every stage of life. Everywhere, everyone, in every situation, without apology—may we all “wear our faith” in a way that speaks to others.

About the Columnist: Eric K. Thomsen has been managing editor of ONE Magazine since the publication began in 2005.