Sharing the Gospel by Sharing You
By
Stephanie J. Burns and Darcie Jensen
The best way to share the gospel is to live it.
For some of us, sharing the gospel comes naturally. But for many of us, it is not that easy. In fact, we might even be afraid of opening up to friends, family, or neighbors to talk about the gospel, even though we know how important it is to do so.
For some of us, sharing the gospel comes naturally. But for many of us, it is not that easy. In fact, we might even be afraid of opening up to friends, family, or neighbors to talk about the gospel, even though we know how important it is to do so.
Further, sometimes when we think
about missionary work, we focus too much on the method, activity, or outcome, rather than focusing on helping the individual. The problem is that any efforts that lose sight of the individual can make those efforts feel forced and insincere.
There may be a better way.
That way is to become more converted
to the gospel-as individuals- and let the example of our lives and our friendly
conversation open the way. The more converted we become, the more
comfortable we are with our religion, and we begin to feel an increasing desire
for others to enjoy the blessings of the gospel. When that happens,
sharing comes more naturally.
In fact, we may not even realize we
are sharing the gospel. As we increase the level of our faithful
discipleship, the effect it has on our actions, speech, and even countenance
will be difficult to ignore. "Your good works will be evident to
others," explains Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles. "The light of the Lord can beam from your eyes. With that
radiance, you had better prepare for questions."
Preach My Gospel: A Guide to
Missionary Service explains: "The
Savior has shown the way. He has set the perfect example, and He commands
us to become as He is (see 3 Nephi 27:27). As members learn of
Christ and seek to incorporate His attributes into their lives through the
power of His Atonement, they become more like Christ and thus more capable of
leading others to Him.
One recent convert from Washington,
USA, says that spending time with members was all it took for her to become
interested in the gospel. "The happiness they brought with them and the
way I felt around them was undeniable," she shares. "They
didn't preach to me about God. It was simply in their very being: their
lifestyle, their choices, their actions and reactions. When I looked at
them, I said to myself. "That is how I want to live This is where I
want to be in life."
As we become more comfortable with
the gospel's influence in our lives, talking about that influence becomes
easier both because we have things to talk about and because we can share what
that message has done for us.
Miriam Criscuolo from Italy found
that, even after establishing a meaningful friendship with a neighbor, she
still didn't know how to talk about the gospel. "We spent a lot of
time together, but the courage to speak to my new friend about the gospel, even
though I knew it was my duty, escaped me," she shares.
But when the gospel came up
naturally, things started to happen. Miriam remembers, "It was my
daughter who, when showing a Primary project, aroused the curiosity of my
friend." "What's Primary?" she asked. From that question
were born a hundred others. I learned that my friend had been
looking for something for years. I told her that the peace of mind she
was looking for would be found in our Church.
"She later joined the
Church. She was an answer to my prayers about how to find a way to do
missionary work and to show my children how it can be done."
Being
Friends First
Like Miriam, sometimes we may feel
duty bound to share the gospel and find that this sense of duty can foster
forced, uncomfortable discussions. In addition, the feeling of
responsibility can overwhelm us and inhibit our ability to effectively explain
gospel principles.
Successful missionary opportunities
are more likely to be found when members are just good, true friends with
others. As Elder M. Russell
Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, “If we are open
about our membership in the Church from the very beginning, … friends and
acquaintances will accept that this is part of who we are.”4
Including the gospel in existing
friendships rather than basing friendships on sharing the gospel can increase
missionary successes. Eliana Verges de Lerda, a member of the Church in
Argentina, met her friend Anabel when they were both six years old. Their
friendship grew as they went to school together. During that time, Eliana never
hid the fact that she was a member of the Church.
“I felt very comfortable talking
about the gospel with Anabel, even though we didn’t share the same beliefs,”
she says.
When the girls were 14, Anabel
agreed to listen to the missionaries, but she decided not to be baptized.
Eliana was disappointed, but this
did not stop her from continuing their friendship; nor did it stop the gospel
discussions. A few years later, Eliana invited Anabel to attend seminary with
her. During the lesson, Anabel felt the Spirit very strongly. As Eliana
prepared to go to the temple a few days later, Anabel told her, “I promise to
go with you next time.” Anabel was baptized a short time after.
Anabel’s conversion did not take
days; it took years. The process was possible because Eliana was her friend
first—regardless of whether or not Anabel felt an interest in accepting the
gospel.
