Tag Archive for: 2 Timothy 4:5

Sharing Jesus on the Journey

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2 Timothy 4:5 — But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.

Some memories stay vivid even after decades. When I think back to my childhood, I see those December days when my mom would take my sister and me to the mall, not to shop, but for something called Journey to Bethlehem.

She would guide us past the food court, the kiosks, and the holiday crowds until we reached a corner display that felt worlds away. A local church hosted it each year, and the moment we stepped inside, the atmosphere changed. It was like stepping back in time.

I remember the cool feel of clay jars beneath my fingers and the earthy scent of hay. People in long robes greeted us with words like “Shalom” that sounded ancient yet comforting, and we got to pet so many animals.

I loved every second of it.

It was there that the story of Jesus’ birth would stir inside me in a way no words could capture.

Years later, I found myself walking that same path with my own girls. They moved slowly, reaching out to touch the baskets, asking questions about how families lived so long ago without cars or warm beds. I talked about the miles people walked, the hardships mothers endured, and the courage it took to survive in a world that offered so little comfort.

Halfway through, I felt the weight of what I needed to pass on. I had no formal gospel lesson prepared. I only had the walk, my childhood memories, and the chance to let them feel it for themselves.

So, as we wandered through the recreated streets, I narrated the story of the Nativity as best as I knew how. I noticed something shift in their eyes. They were beginning to understand the lengths God went to as He chose to enter a world so ordinary and hard, just to meet us where we are.

I thought of the words from 2 Timothy 4:5: “Keep a clear mind in every situation, do the work of an evangelist… fully carry out the ministry God has given you.”

Walking this path reminded me that ministry often looks like this—staying present, even when it’s imperfect. Telling the story as best you can. Walking with people you love and helping them experience the same Jesus you know and love for themselves.

Now it is our tradition. Every year, my husband and I look for ways like this to help our girls discover the story in fresh new ways. And each time, I am reminded that the length’s God goes for us. His love is always so immense and intentional.

If He would come all that way, maybe the small steps we take can help someone else find their way toward Him. Because, truth be told, this is one story that is never too old, too simple, or too small to change a heart.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • What moments from your own childhood helped shape your understanding of faith or the story of Jesus?
  • Where has God given you opportunities to share the Good News in simple, everyday ways—without a script or a plan?
  • What does “fully carrying out the ministry God has given you” look like in your current season of life?
  • How can you help others—especially the next generation—experience Jesus, not just hear about Him?
  • Where might God be inviting you to take a small, faithful step, trusting Him to do the larger work in someone’s heart?
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Still On Mission

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2 Timothy 4:5 “As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

I don’t know how else to put it—my mother could talk to a fence post and get it saved before sundown.

Now I mean that with every ounce of admiration. She had this way of making you feel like you mattered, like you weren’t just someone she passed in the aisle at Dollar General. And she did not need a big crowd to share what was in her heart. As long as there was breath in her lungs, she was going to make sure you knew about Jesus.

Then, one day, the doctors used words none of us ever wanted to hear: breast cancer.

I braced myself. I thought, well, maybe she will take this time to rest. But if anything, she got louder. Not in volume, but in purpose. That hospital bed turned into her mission field. The IV pole might as well have been a microphone.

Every nurse, every doctor, and even the folks checking her vitals at 2 a.m.— they all heard the same sweet gospel. Jesus loves you.

Now, some folks smiled politely and scooted right out the door, but a few lingered, asked questions, and let their guards down. There she was, weak in body but strong in spirit, doing what she was made to do.

That is what sticks with me now. She didn’t waste her pain. She handed it to God like a basket of loaves and fish and said, “Do something with this, Lord.” And He did.

So, I need to tell you this, dear ones: just because life looks messy does not mean it’s meaningless. Just because you are hurting does not mean you are useless. Your struggle might be the very soil where someone else’s faith takes root.

Stay open. Keep sowing. Because even in a hospital gown, hooked up to machines, my mom showed me that Jesus still shines.

And family, He can shine through you too.

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