Looking through that photo album I see a young girl. Brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, blue
eyes laughing at the person beside her.
I know that her smile is fake.
How do I know that? Because that
girl in the picture is me. And on the
day that picture was taken, happiness was something I had to pretend
She has a secret. I know because
this girl is me. I walk around the world
holding a secret inside me, a secret that sometimes I share.
But my secret is wonderful and terrible – and sharing it sometimes
hurts. For me, sharing this secret makes
me nervous. I’ve seen too many angry
faces, judgmental stares; I’ve been turned down many times. I’ll keep sharing my secret though. It’s too wonderful to keep to myself, for my
secret is my best friend. My secret is
my savior, my father, my joy, and my hope.
Some turn down my secret and the promise that it holds because of how I
act. Two-faced hypocrite, they call me. I suppose they are right. I wish the focus didn’t have to be on me. I wish that I did a better job of living in
the light of what I say I believe. Do these
people know that I struggle? That I
try? I wish these people could see the
perfection in Jesus instead of the imperfection in me.
Some people turn down my secret because they say it cannot be true. They say they know better, too smart in their
own shoes to open their eyes. My heart
aches for these people, because I know the truth. All men will know, but some will know too
late. I wish I could make them change
their mind – but of course that would not be fair. Jesus came to give mankind a choice – not to
force them into salvation. But if only these people could surrender their
supposed intellect, and see all the evidence that proves that He came. I wish they would believe, because if they
saw what it was like! If they lived with
this new hope and peace, then they would know.
Others say that they have their own secret. I know that’s a lie though.
Other say they don’t like secrets, they tell me they aren’t interested in
the wares I peddle. I wasn’t trying to
sell or peddle though. I just wanted to
share my secret.
That girl in the photo gets dismal sometimes. She struggles, she wins, and she loses – just
like everyone else. Love has found her
and left her, life has welcomed her in only to throw her out.
But even at the end of the hardest day, she has an enduring hope. She lives with her best friend, the only
friend that truly loves her – because he knows everything about her, good and
bad.
That girl in the picture doesn’t have to pretend around Him.
I like that early repetition of 'the girl in the picture is me.' That's powerful. And I think you miss a bet in your close by not repeating it:
ReplyDelete"That girl in the picture doesn't have to pretend around Him. I know because the girl in that picture is me."
Or do you want to end with 'Him'? Or how about this:
"That girl in the picture doesn't have to pretend around Him. I know because the girl is me, and she is not alone in that picture."
I would certainly not claim any expertise in Christian witness, but I do know something about rhetorical strategies, and this is a good one: you turn the focus on yourself and your story--its highs and lows--not out of vanity, but because, as Jesus well knew, a story is an effective way to teach.
Again, without any special knowledge here, I can only see one thing you've missed. You touch on every likely objection and answer them--a classic sales technique. But everyone in sales eventually faces the moment when they have to close that sale, get the customer to reach in his pocket. The close is a special sales skill, and plenty of good sales people can't quite pitch it.
I assume the end and purpose of any Christian witness is to not only share the good news but to also close the sale: to ask the person to open his heart, to believe, and to accept Jesus as his only salvation, now, immediately, this instant. I don't think you quite describe trying to close the sale.