Our Spirits Can Speak Louder Than Our Words

​I presented to a large group of educators earlier this week. After my presentation, a woman approached me, and with tears in her eyes she said, "you love Jesus don't you?"

This momentarily caught me off guard, mainly because I didn't mention Jesus or my faith; that's not what I was invited to speak about.

But the woman went on to tell me that she could hear it in my passion, she could feel it in my spirit.

Before every speaking and teaching engagement, and before every article I write, I do ask Jesus to do with my words what only he can do. This to honor my faith that he can do far more with the gifts he's given me than I ever can. But to be honest, I rarely think much about those requests after I've offered them.

This woman, though, she had me thinking about this a lot on my drive home. She had me pondering why her words meant so much to me. I concluded this: sometimes my outward actions and choices and even my words don't always look and sound like Jesus as much as I want them to, so it's encouraging to me, that even so, someone can sense that Jesus is indeed living in me.

It was encouraging to me that our authentic joy, passion, kindness, and humility often say more about our faith and character than our words and our declarations. Sometimes people can see what we believe without us telling them what we believe.

Her words also reminded me of the toxic influence our spirits can have on the people around us. Our bitterness, resentment, or fears for instance. These are spirits that also need no words or actions to influence people. Only these spirits offer tears of destruction and not tears that lovingly draw us toward one another.

What spirit will people encounter when they meet you today? The answer does matter.

A lot.

As I write this, I am reminded just how often people sensed Jesus' arrival before he ever arrived. His compassion, presence, and authenticity revealed God long before his sermons did.

We are called to be a light on a hill, not a bullhorn. We are light that is seen, not shouted.

I am grateful that I asked Jesus to do what only Jesus can do before I gave my talk this week. I am ever more grateful that Jesus gifted me with an immediate demonstration and answer to that request.

So I will continue to pray, maybe even more so, "May my spirit speak of love before my lips ever try."

Amen.