Anti-apathy: Make Them Thirsty

Hearts clouded with apathy cause me pain -- especially when they're full of potential and passion behind all the smog. I pray for the humility of reality to break through the fog and shock them to life.

Numbness bothers me for the same reason. I pray strength for hearts that are afraid to feel.

Communicating with apathetic or numb hearts is so challenging. I want to influence and inspire people, to sensitize them. God has given us so many meaningful experiences to make us wealthy with eternal, unseen characteristics. But how do I reach walled-up hearts?

I want them to know how loved they are.

I want them to accept grace.

I want them to find joy.

To find peace.

I hope they'll seek.

I hope they'll ask.

I hope they'll knock.

But they don't know they've lost anything.

They aren't aware of the question.

They don't even see a house, much less a door.

One of my prayers lately has been for God to help me communicate effectively to people in my path who are apathetic. I want to jolt their awareness and appreciation of God's goodness versus this world's, and the church's, illness. I don't want to push them away, though. I am so afraid of being too personal or too guarded; I want to be genuine. Wisdom, Father-God, please give me wisdom.

Please let your abundant Spirit inside me,  boiling with compassion for everyone to have this joy through Your love, splash on thirsty hearts with withered seeds of hope. I was withered, and You breathed life into me, numerous times. What is the balance between my expression of YOUR goodness? Obviously, I have responsibility to share You... but You do the growing.

My Bible study from Colossians pointed me a little closer to finding a solution. I know I am the salt of the earth. Jesus told me that in Matthew 5:13. I just thought that meant I keep purpose in the earth, the potential to spread God's love, by my faith--along with all my siblings in Christ.

But I got a new perspective today about my saltiness, one I want to share. This is from SheReadsTruth.com, regarding Colossians 4:6 ("Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.") from the Day 11 study by Kaitlin Wernet:

"Salt causes thirst. God’s Word doesn’t need our PR efforts. Its mere mention causes sin to salivate for grace. Our job is not to concoct our own savory presentation of the gospel; every ingredient was chosen to feed our own innate hunger. Instead, our task is to speak words from our personal thirst, pointing to the source of Living Water (John 7:37-39)."

So, Father-God, please give me gracious speech (or silence, when best) about all the freedom You've given me. Without You, I'd be little more than a bitter, lustful woman, lost in my fears and insecurities. Thank You for telling me my potential through Your possibilities, instead of shaming me by evil's limitations. Take me, use me as Your vessel. Shake me so Your Spirit can sprinkle all over the blandness. In Jesus, I thank you!