Gospel Conversations Reimagined: Three Core Longings
I cannot seem to shake images of people caught in the middle of this summer’s tumultuous events —from the upheaval in Afghanistan to the massive hurricane in Haiti and the Gulf States, from the devastating fires in the US and Germany to the predominant presence of the pandemic in every nook and cranny of the globe. Daily we are fed images of individuals, families, and communities experiencing catastrophic loss. Sometimes these people and events can feel far away, but often, people in our network of relationships are experiencing the effects firsthand. My aunt and uncle lost everything in one of the Oregon fires last summer and a cousin, recently hospitalized with COVID-19, finally returned home today. A friend attends a church in Eden, NC and over thirty members of their tiny congregation have died in the past year.
How are you coping in the midst of it all?
As I continue to consider what it means to “reimagine gospel conversations,” I am reminded of the importance of leaning into the day-to-day with people in my community, asking them about their ups and downs and sharing my own, sometimes to offer help, but mostly to commiserate. When the Spirit provides an opening, I describe how God sometimes gives me a peace beyond explanation or encourages me with his presence or confuses me by his silence. Funny thing—the conversation continues.
I wonder if our hesitancy to engage in gospel conversations stems from presence of anxiety and tension in our own lives that we fear belies our faith. Maybe we feel the need to provide all the answers even when our own questions remained frustratingly unanswered. Over the past few years, I have begun to find that the more honest I am about myself and the God I love and follow, the more meaningful my conversations are with everyone around me.
No matter how we look at it, the True Story of the Whole World (TSWW) is fraught with craziness—wars and famines, plagues and diseases, forced immigration and racial discrimination, grave injustice, suffering, and misunderstanding. The TSWW abounds with miraculous interventions by God, a Savior who loves the world, boundless love in action, unexplained provision, an everlasting hope, and God’s kingdom come.
God created humankind to long for a deep and abiding relationship with him and meets us, all of us, in places of great need. He answers when we call.
In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls (1 Pet. 1:6–8).
The TSWW demonstrates that God often uses the pain and suffering to expose these deeper needs—needs woven into the fabric of humankind. I have found that acknowledging these needs in my own life enhances my interaction with God, and by recognizing these same needs in the lives of the people around me provides inroads for conversations, opportunities for prayer, and occasions to befriend.
1. Peace—the absence of anxiety
2. Prosperity—the longing for stability
3. Purpose—the deep desire for meaning
How is the longing for peace, prosperity, or purpose evidenced in your life today? Describe to a friend some of the ways God has assured you of his presence or your purpose. How might considering these three core longings change conversations you are having with your kids, your neighbor, your co-worker or relative, your banker or barista?
