And even that is hard.

It’s hard to be bold in my faith on Facebook, because I’m afraid of what people will think. I’m afraid some folks will be turned off. I’m afraid of being “un-friended.”

My goal, of course, is for people to see someone whom they know and (hopefully) respect actually walking out their faith. I also hope that people who knew me from grade school or college or a former employer—people who knew me before I was saved—might be curious about why the once secular girl raised by an atheist is now professing her belief in Jesus Christ.

That’s my hope. My fear is that they’ll think I’m a nut job—that they will dismiss my zeal as religious nonsense, or worse, think I am sanctimonious and judgmental.

Really, my pride is getting in the way. It would hurt my pride for someone to call me a name, dismiss my beliefs, or cut ties all together. It would also hurt my pride if I failed.

I want to lead people to Christ, to show them that they are missing a whole dimension of life—the very purpose and meaning of life. I want them to understand who Jesus is, and that He loves them SO MUCH that He suffered torment and physical abuse, and ultimately died on the cross…just for them. I want them to accept Christ into their heart before it’s too late. If instead I turn them off, pushing them even further from the Lord, I will be ashamed, embarrassed, and flat out mortified.

Aye, there’s the rub. Because that fear of failure is really narcissism in disguise. It’s making myself greater than God, as if He weren’t able to speak directly to someone’s heart, even if I “blow it.” As if he weren’t able to speak through me, when I don’t know the right thing to say.

Moses said to the LORD, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” Exodus 4:10

When I look at how God worked in my life, I can see plainly that no amount of preaching was going to reach me until I was ready. I attended Catholic church for eight years and never had a relationship with Jesus. It wasn’t until Craig witnessed to me one night in July 2003 that everything clicked. I couldn’t tell you a thing that he said, but I was wrecked. God spoke to my spirit. I asked Jesus into my heart, and my life has never been the same.

God meets us where we are at. He met me when I was steeped in sin, living a Sex in the City lifestyle in Manhattan, sans the Manolo Blahniks. He spoke to me through Craig. Then he spoke to me through a stranger named Valeria Smith who invited me to sit with her at Brooklyn Tabernacle. Over the next year, he spoke to me through Pastor Lawrence Kennedy and my friends from the North Church, Kara Sparks and Lori Yeary, teaching me what it means to be a disciple of Christ and to walk in His will.

Today, God continues to speak to me through friends, blogs, preachers, teachers, scripture, songs, and sometimes just straight into my head. Several years ago, He planted us at a different church, where I continue to be fed and challenged to study the Word and go deeper in my faith. My prayer is that God will continue to bless me with wisdom and discernment, and to use me as his mouthpiece to speak encouragement and truth into the lives of others.

Because it’s not about me, it’s about Him. I’m just the messenger.

The LORD said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” Exodus 4:11-12

Now, what if the person you are with really, really wants you to run toward the bathroom? What if they believe, with all passion and conviction, that the door to the bathroom is the door to safety? “Here’s the a door!” they exclaim. “This is the way out!”

If you knew that the bathroom had no windows or other means of egress, would you follow them in? Again, probably not. Regardless of the person’s passion, regardless of their conviction, that door just ain’t gonna get you to safety. Quite the opposite. Sure, you’ll leave the theater, but you will be trapped in another place and will likely burn to death. Not pretty.

It’s nice to think that every door will get us to where we want to go. But, just because it’s a door doesn’t mean it’s the right door. Sadly, this analogy illustrates the backward thinking of millions of Americans. In fact, a recent survey of more than 35,000 adults found that the majority believe more than one religion can lead to heaven. Remarkably, of those participants who attend an evangelical Christian church, more than half stated that belief in Christ is not the only way to eternal life.

Y’all, let me spell it out to you in Scripture: Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 6:14)

The EXIT sign in the theater leads you outside to safety. No one gets out of the building except through the exit. (I know, at this point, some readers are starting to construct detailed arguments about how the movie-goer could make their escape through an alternate route. Maybe they could go back into the main lobby and out the front entrance. Maybe there’s a door to the back alley just for deliveries. For the purpose of this analogy, let’s say you’re in a small indie film house, and there’s only one freakin’ door. I don’t want to belabor the point.)

Just because you might think it’s not fair that some people don’t get to go to heaven doesn’t mean that it’s not the truth. Heck, sometimes I think gravity is unfair. I wish I could levitate. That would be cool. I wish I could step off the side of a building and not go ‘splat’ on the pavement below. It worked in The Matrix, why not in real life?

Because, the laws of physics aren’t necessarily “fair”. But, they are what they are. And, guess what? When we abide by the laws of physics, they work in our favor. We can even cooperate with the laws of physics, and achieve things we wouldn’t have thought possible. Who knew you could build a big metal bus with wings and fly across the Atlantic in a matter of hours? That’s working with the laws, not against them.

Look, it’s one thing to be tolerant and politically correct, it’s another to lack conviction or be feeble-minded when it comes to declaring your beliefs. If you state that you believe in something, know WHY you believe it. Be able to make your case succinctly and back it up, either with factual data or at least with personal experience. If you’re not sure what you believe, for heaven’s sake, do some research.

I know that Jesus is my personal savior because he saved me. I was born again on July 16, 2003, and my life changed. My personality changed. My desires and my tastes changed. Not because I willed it, or because someone else convinced me, but because God changed me on the inside—as soon as I started to cooperate. As soon as I submitted to His will instead of mine, I was able to experience things I never knew were possible. I became better than I was before—I had more integrity, more character, and more conviction. I still fall far short of God’s glory, but when I operate outside of his design…let’s just say I’m a hot mess.

I also believe that the Bible is factually accurate. Yes, you need to consider much of its content in a historical context. Yes, Jesus spoke in parables, which weren’t meant to be taken literally. Like the analogy above, they illustrate a point. But, the long and short of it is, early on in our history, we were duped by Satan. That broke God’s heart. He chose to redeem us by sacrificing His own son, who carried the burden for all our sins, past, present and future. Everyone say it with me now: For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Is it fair that Jesus is the only exit strategy for eternal life? It depends on your perspective. If you recognize that everything God does is born out of his infinite and unfailing love for us, then no, it’s not fair. Because we don’t deserve his mercy. We all have sin in our lives, which is why it’s all the more important that we understand, acknowledge and accept the redemption offered through Jesus Christ. He is our doorway to true freedom.

And, when you recognize the truth, you can really soar.