Does the Way I Live My Life Point To God?

By Jessica Brodie

Driving down a darkened road, looking for a gas station, I saw nothing. Then, up ahead, a faint light glowed. As I approached, the light grew stronger: Open! Fuel! Snacks! Cold drinks!

The sign beckoned me closer, and I knew what I’d be getting when I pulled in to the mostly empty lot. Relief settled as I was able to fill my gas tank and grab a bottle of water for the rest of my drive.

Signs in the night are one thing, but have you ever considered that we—God’s people—also wear signs? Maybe they’re not neon and the only light shining in the darkness for miles around, but they’re still signs that point to God—or to the world, depending on what we’re advertising.

In the past, I didn’t really think about what I was advertising in the way I lived my life. Certainly, I wanted to be perceived as a good person, a rule follower, kind, intelligent. But things like crass language or provocative dress or naughty jokes didn’t much matter in my mind. “I’m a believer, and God knows my heart,” I told myself. “The other stuff doesn’t really matter.”

But when I went from being a mere believer to making Jesus Christ the full and utter Lord of my life, something shifted with me. I realized that some of my old habits didn’t really belong in my life anymore.

As my walk with God set my feet on firmer footing, I also began to realize that other people were looking at me, maybe for direction or confirmation or something else entirely. Perhaps they were looking to see what a Christian was “supposed” to look like and act like based on me.

I soon realized: I’m actually a walking, talking billboard for the Lord, not only in the things I say and thoughts I have or the way I conduct my life morally, but also in the things I do—the clothes I wear, the language I use, the choices I make, the jokes I tell. For some, I might be their only example of a Christian. And I wanted to be a good example.

In Titus 1:16, Paul writes, “Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live” (NLT). He’s talking about how the behavior of some—who say they are Christ-followers—contradicts what they claim to believe.

I don’t ever want someone to look at me, a Christian, and consider my behavior a contradiction of my faith.

None of us should want that. Our lives should advertise the risen Lord, the salvation available to all who repent and believe, and new creation we become when we turn from the world to follow him.

Let’s ask ourselves: Is the way I’m living my life denying him or proclaiming him? When people look at my life, do they see just another worldly individual caught up in whatever culture dictates? Or do they see something different? Do they see God? Do they see a beacon of light in the darkness—Open! Fuel! Snacks! Cold drinks!

I want to offer people fuel for their soul, the only fuel they actually need: the Lord Jesus Christ. I want to offer them the only drink they really need: his living water. And I want them to know that God’s door is always open for those who desire him.

So no, I don’t have a neon flashing light that I wear around my neck, but in my way, I strive to be an example that beckons people closer to Jesus. The love I display—and the compassion and modesty and kindness and patience I exhibit—speak of a different way. A way distinctly opposite of the world’s way.

This week I invite you to consider the sign you’re wearing in this world. Does your life point to Jesus?

A prayer: Lord, please help my life point to you and lead others to you. Amen.

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Big news!

I’m honored to announce both of my books are finalists in the prestigious Selah Awards, with winners to be announced in May! The Memory Garden is a finalist in the Contemporary Women’s Fiction category, while Tangled Roots is a finalist in both the General Fiction and the Audiobook categories. What an honor! I hope you’ll read them. Click here to learn more and buy the books.