relationships

Paid to Educate, Called to Evangelize

Most Christians complicate and compartmentalize evangelism.  We complicate it into extreme practices and we compartmentalize it as one of the things Christians are supposed to do.
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Christian faith influences every dimension of our lives.  We become evangelists, for better and worse, the moment we claim our identity in Christ.  As Christ-followers, we are sent into our homes, neighborhoods, workplaces, and communities with a call to share the love, joy, peace, hope, and freedom that we’ve found in Christ.
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Julie reminds us that there are no “dead zones” when it comes to God-activity.  Many Christians have demonized the world of public higher education.  They cite statistics about faith “dropouts” in college while villainizing professors and institutions.
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But then you meet someone like Julie and hear stories of all the God-activity surrounding her department.
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Julie sees God in the everyday rhythms of her life and work.  Sure, she is paid to educate students and serve families in the community.  Sure, she is a peer to other educators at a public institution.  Sure, she goes into work every day with a list of “work tasks” and objectives.
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Julie is just like the majority of employees in the majority of places.  And yet she’s extremely unique.
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Julie has found a way to un-complicate and de-compartmentalize evangelism.  She has found how a simple prayer, “God, how can I be used today,” uttered over thousands of workdays, can open dozens of doors for sharing her faith.  Julie builds relationships with an ease and enjoyment that many would find too simple to be called evangelism.
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But the beauty of her witness is found in its simplicity.  When you talk with Julie, you find yourself longing to be educated…or evangelized…or both.