Jesus with Skin On

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25.

Yeah, we’ve heard this before, probably this past weekend. We hear about the resurrection every Easter. We put on our Sunday best, and we celebrate. We have a nice dinner with family and friends, and we probably pop a few chocolate Easter eggs or Peeps into our mouth as an added bonus.

But do you show the truth of the resurrection?

Of course! You wouldn’t be reading my blogs if you didn’t. Yet how many sat in your church this past weekend and really didn’t believe it? Or like me, how many times have you sat on an airplane and chatted with a stranger who needs to believe or be shown the truth?

How can you “show” the resurrection truth to those who are yet to believe?

As I flew home this past Sunday, chatting with my seatmate, I was reminded how to do that well. In fiction writing, one of the basic rules is “show, don’t tell”. You make sure the characters walk it out and talk it out instead of just describing the scene. You use sensory words and emotions to drive action and cause the reader to engage in the story. You get them involved and make them want to be a part it.

As Christians, we must do the same. We show others what the Christian life is like. We don’t just tell them about the Gospel. We walk it out and talk it out instead of just describe what it’s like to be a Christ follower. We show our emotions and help them to sense the beauty and sweetness and vision of living the Christian life. And we live in such a way that they want to engage and become a part of the action.

I’m grateful that my journey of writing has taught me this truth in a new and powerful way, and I tried to apply this simple principle to that conversation on the plane. She seemed intrigued with the joy and kindness I showed her, and she said she’d think about our discussion some more. I tried my best to “show” and not just tell her about the resurrection life. I tried to be Jesus with skin on.

What about you? How has God taught you about “being Jesus with skin on”? I’d love to know!