Why Christians Need To Radically Show Up In The World
Why do Christians need to “show up” in the world and their relationships? By showing up, I mean stepping into the hard places and spaces. To bring the light of Christ to every person and situation we find ourselves in.
Esther’s Example
In the story of Esther, we see God’s people crying out to be rescued. Haman, the king’s most trusted official, being filled with wrath toward the Jewish official Mordecai because he wouldn’t bow down to him, calls for all of the Jews of Persia to be put to death. All men, women, and children of Jewish heritage are to be put to death by the king’s order. All of Persia was in a panic because of this. God’s people needed someone to show up to rescue them.
With prayer and fasting Queen Esther, the secretly Jewish queen of all of Persia, shows up for her people. “On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the palace, in front of the king’s hall. . .”(Esther 5:1) The story goes on and due to the faithfulness of Ester and that first act of obedience, the Jewish people of Persia are spared. The ministry of showing up was the key to rescuing God’s people.
How We See God Show Up Throughout Scripture
Throughout the Bible, we also see God faithfully guiding and showing up for His people. Adam and Eve- God clothed them and cared for them after they sinned. He promised to crush sin and death forever, despite humanity’s choices to believe the lies about Him.
Abraham- God gave him a son and established his Jewish nation through his line before Abraham had ever done anything for God.
Jacob- God established the 12 tribes of Israel through his line, despite his tendency towards lying and deception.
David- God made him a great king and promised to send a forever great king through his line, knowing the grievous sins David would commit against Uriah and Bathsheba. God kept His promises and displayed His faithfulness, even when humanity fell short of His instructions. His ability to “show up” for His people was not dependent on their performance or perfection. It was dependent on His character
The Ultimate Way God Showed Up For Us
Fast forward we see the ultimate way that God faithfully showed up for all of mankind, by sending a forever great king through the line of David-Jesus. “He himself bore our sins” in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds, you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24). By the faithfulness and obedience of Jesus, He lived a perfect life, died a death He did not deserve so all of mankind could be spared from eternal death.
God has always been present, making promises, fulfilling those promises, protecting His people, rolling down perfect justice, and just plainly showing up.
You may not be royalty, but everyone has the power to influence the people around them. As Christians, we have an obligation to be intentional in our relationships for the kingdom of God and for God’s glory. Opting out isn’t an option for the follower of Christ. God invites us into the same ministry; the ministry of showing up. We can and should, as children of God, show up for our friends, spouses, coworkers, children, and neighbors. Doing so shines a light on the healing, help, and comfort that God provides- emotionally, spiritually, and practically. It also shines a light on the message of the gospel, that God came to Earth to be with us through the person of Jesus.
Here’s how we can show up for the people around us:
1. Pray. Ask God for direction and wisdom. (Mathew 21:22)
2. Open our eyes and ears. Look around your sphere of influence and listen to the needs of others. Maybe your friend mentions that she isn’t feeling well this week. Maybe you notice that your child is throwing tantrums as he gets home from school. Possibly you hear that a coworker’s mother has died. Most of us are waiting for people to ask for help directly, but maybe their calls for help are whispers instead of shouts. In this case, their actions are speaking louder than their words. We just need to pay attention.
3. Make a plan. If your friend is having a hard week don’t just make a mental note, say you’ll pray for her and move on. Make a plan to make her a meal, plan to send her a gift card, or try to set- up a play date. Even if those things are too hard for you to do, set an alarm on your phone to pray for her specifically and tell her about it. Whatever it is, make a plan of action.
4. Follow through. Make a plan, don’t flake. If you say you’re going to make a meal, start cooking. When you say you’re going to pray for them at a specific time, set the alarm. If you say you are going to hang out with them on a certain day, show up. I don’t know what it is; social media telling us to put ourselves first no matter what or our culture that says you can and should do it all, but we Christians have really fallen short in this area. Yeah, we can see the needs of others, and we can make a plan, but actually following through is such a struggle if we’re honest. How sad!
I mean, let’s look at it from our own perspective. How does it make you feel when a friend or even a family member has promised to spend time with you, only to receive a text an hour before you are supposed to meet that they over-booked themselves and can’t meet up like they said that they could? It hurts, doesn’t it? You were relying on someone and they turned out to be less than reliable. It especially gets more hurtful the more this behavior turns into a pattern. One time being flakey, sure. Three or four times, ouch! So, let’s be counter-cultural and follow through because our flakiness can be just as or even more damaging than the original hurt itself. This might be the very thing that either harms or ministers to people the most. Let’s be the latter.
5. Identify that we cannot do this on our own. This is the most important one, friends. Listen, our flesh is weak, guys! We are flakey people from the jump. Jesus lays this out in Mathew 26. He asks his disciples to stay up and pray for him because his, “…soul is very sorrowful, even to death. . .” He later finds that they had fallen asleep and he says to his disciple Peter, ”So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Our flesh says, “Ugh, I’m tired. I don’t want to go out right now. Let’s just cancel.” Our flesh doesn’t want to persevere when things get hard, and when you are dealing with people, things will get hard. That’s why we need the Holy Spirit to help us in our weakness. We need the power to follow through and the mercy when we fail to do so. Lean into the one who showed up faithfully and perfectly, Jesus. Only by His power can we participate in the ministry of showing up.
How do you show up for the people around you in a way that reflects Christ?
Let us know in the comments!
About The Author
Rachel is a part-time RN and a full-time messy wife and mom. She has been married to the one and only, firefighting, God-worshiping, Hobbit-loving, seriously fun, seriously serious, most handsome Ryan Hausch for nearly 9 years. They have two amazing kiddos- Nora (5) and Chandler (2). Rachel and her family attend a church in Stow, Ohio called Redemption Chapel which God has used to bring us healing, community, and growth. She has the privilege of helping to lead a table at her church’s Woman’s Bible studies and loves seeing women grow in their understanding and love for God.
Rachel is passionate about pursuing the Lord, laughing at all the stupid things, showing people just how loved they are despite their mess, cultivating a peaceful and life-giving home, and drinking lots and lots of coffee. Her goals in this life are to laugh a lot, love her family faithfully, and serve God with all of her heart, soul, mind, and strength.
You can follow more of her writing on her IG @thehaushold.
Additional Resources
Need some more inspiration for how to show up for the people around you as a Christian? For more resources on Christian Community and Relationships, check out our other articles HERE.
We also did a whole YouTube series on Christian Community that you can watch HERE.
