A Trail of Hope: Treating Others Like Jesus Did

A Trail of Hope

Okay guys, if you're just coming in, there's notes, a pen, and lifesavers on the back table. So grab that, have a seat And I really love this topic. And I actually had the opportunity to talk with some people. on the other side of the world from a closed country to the gospel and share some of these same ideas with them. A couple months ago. And I was over in Asia and some people from this closed country were able to leave their country And so this is something anyone can do anywhere.

I love living life like this. So and you can see we're talking about a trail of hope, the trail we leave and treating others like Jesus did. If you ever want to know how to live, oh my goodness, the Bible has like everything. Uh people's stories, how to live, how to respond to things. There's stuff about sleep. There's stuff about sex. There's stuff about loving people in this way. And that's what we're gonna look at today, you guys. So I'm pretty excited about that. So what is a trail?

Whoop, bear with me as I there we go. What's a trail? Okay, a track or a mark. We know we've walked around. Left by something or someone that has passed by. And after a while, that trail, more people might follow that trail, but we all are leaving some kind of trail. And guys, if you're like um The person who likes to have the notes like completely filled out. And if you just came in, there are notes in the back and pen lifesavers. Um You can come up see me after. We'll fill in your notes. So I have a copy for you of that.

Heroes Leave a Trail

So and heroes leave a trail, you guys. What's a hero? A person who is admired or idolized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. And Who likes uh you know what I'm looking forward to? The new Spider-Man? Anyone looking forward to the new Spider-Man movie coming out? Yes. And anyone like uh well I'm I'm not even gonna bring up Marvel because there's like past good Marvel and current Marvel. We're not even gonna go there, but we all have our different different superheroes. So and guys they are they extraordinary

What this is what makes someone feel special or cared for when we treat someone extraordinary. We are ordinary people. Doing extraordinary things and how we touch their lives, and that's what makes someone feel special So we're gonna look an ordinary some heroes don't even look heroic. Remember we have a couple we're gonna look at. We had Spider-Man, he was what, fifteen? Am I remembering that right? And Tony Stark comes along and he believes in him.

And he he couldn't even totally believe in himself. But look what he said. He said, I just feel like I could be doing more. Oh my goodness, what's our theme this week? Made for more. Let's say that. Made for more. And look, this is what Spider-Man said. I just feel like I could be doing more. Who feels like that? I know I do. That I feel like I could be doing more. Guys, if you're just coming in, there's notes, pens, lifesavers back there for you.

And then here are some co an another example. Remember Shrimpy Captain America? And he's like this tiny little guy you know, and then he goes in and he becomes this whole, you know, becomes Captain America. So you may feel ordinary But guys, you can make you are extra nor uh extraordinary when you just reach out and treat people like Jesus did. So here are some common qualities of heroic leaders. Courage. Passion, integrity. We believe in them. Honesty, confidence, patience, selflessness, thinking of others. They're saving someone, right? Caring. humility and supportive. And it sounds a lot like a part a place in the Bible, Ephesians 4.

And Here, let's take a look at that here. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs that it may benefit those who listen. So when my children were little, we'd be driving to school. School is not the place where you really feel like people are being built up and encouraged. But I told I told uh my one son who loves Legos. Anyone ever like Legos? And you know you start, you build one on top of another.

That's like encouragement We start and we build one on top of the other with people in their lives. So let's keep going here. Get rid of all bitterness. Can you imagine like our world is what People go online, get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger. We go on social media, and what is it? It's just like crazy, you know, the way people are just like at each other, right? What about we're going to talk about the difference? What if we're not that person?

It makes a big difference and people see Jesus in you. So also get a get a get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate. There you have it. To one another. Forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you. Can you imagine forgiving? Think of the people in your family, a sibling, your parent. You sure you've been wronged. Think of a friend, someone at school, at work We have all been wronged, you guys. But the power to forgive, it frees us.

And then we're free to touch the lives of others.

Walking Through Life

So as we walk, we're all leaving a trail, you guys. We're walking through we want to walk through life asking, who needs me here? It's a totally different way to live. Because we all have hurt. We all have some kind of broken. And if we instead go into a place and into each day, guys, there's notes and pens and lifesavers on the back table for you If you're coming in, there's notes and pens and lifesavers. Come on in. So when we start our days saying who needs me here, that's the difference a hero makes.

And it's not you. It's Jesus in you who's going is stepping into that moment and saying that. So how did Jesus live? He was always looking. He wa he do and had he was always looking at others and always loving others. So do you know how easy it is to show a Jesus difference. We've touched on a couple of things already, but and now yes, I will say Jesus also took care of himself. Sometimes he went up on like a mountaintop or he went off and he needed to rest or be fed. So yes, take care of yourself, but guys, then we step out and we can say, who needs me here?

So you can circle that in your notes.

What a Jesus Follower Does

So what does a Jesus follower do? Okay, a Jesus follower thinks of others. And you're thinking, what's important to them? And when will they maybe feel alone? And when you can step into their life. We know those feelings ourselves, you guys. We know when we feel alone. So just think through that. Guys, there's notes and pens and lifesavers. And We also another big thing, guys, with my friends who don't know Jesus yet. This is a big thing A Jesus follower remembers milestones. What does that mean?

Well my mom died ten years ago, actually last month and uh a year after uh we did have people reach out to us after my mom died a year after I had a friend give me a gift card for some for a meal. And I was like, oh my goodness, someone remembered the date my mom died. And uh you know, when you think of things like that, remember the things, a birthday, a hard day. You know, they lost their grandma, then they lost their parent. That was a rough time for them. They were rejected or turned down for something. Remember those milestones. Oh, okay. Guys if you can maybe squish in some cause we do have some other people coming if you're able to even move over another seat or two.

So yes, this is awesome. If we all leave here and go You know, think about other people. What we have a small army to make a difference in the lives of others. So guys, there's notes and pens and lifesavers in the back We all need a lifesaver in the afternoon. So um so guys, the Jesus Father also apologizes. Um years ago there was a TV show called Happy Days and the Funs was this cool guy in the leather jacket and he had a hard time. He when he was wrong, he couldn't say it He was like, I was. He couldn't get it out. You know what a Jesus follower does? They apologize. They say, I'm sorry. And even if the other person is in the wrong, we can pull back and just say, hey, we can apologize for our part.

in it. That makes a big difference because we are in a world, do we see a lot of apologizing on social media, in the news? Government officials, families, our workplace, do people apologize? It really stands out to just say, I'm sorry. And the more specific you can be, that's even better. A Jesus follower does encourage others. You find a way to say, hey, you know what? You have a gift for doing that. You do a good job with making fry bread. How about that one?

You do a good job talking with others. You do a good job with music. There are so many gifts that I don't have, but there are other gifts God has given me. And you know what? You may not feel like you have a gift, but you are equipped by God to make a difference in your world where He has you. And if you don't know what it is, ask God. Say, Hey God, how could I do this? But encouraging others, you can There are so many ways we can do that. We'll talk about it in a little bit. Text, all kinds of things. A Jesus follower. Oh, as long as technology works, that's great. Let's see. There we go. A Jesus Follower lifts others up. What do we see in our world today?

We see people Pushing others down, putting them down. And what does a Jesus follower do? Lifts them up. That stands out, you guys, in our world today. A Jesus follower, okay, we talked about superheroes. One of my favorites is coming up here. A Jesus follower protects from hurtful bullets. How many bullets are flying at people today? Our family, our loved ones, just in our world. Well here we go. Here's Wonder Woman. And what is she doing? She is protecting from the bullets. And then she doesn't just do that.

Look, she's Protecting all these bullets, she also goes and she actually smashes the machine, the machine gun. Can you imagine doing that as a Jesus follower? We're protecting the people in our world from others. How about instead of w what do people normally do? Hey, you know, someone's talking about whoever. We join in, right? It's different if we say nope and we protect the bullets. Here's a biggie guys, the Jesus follower does not do drama. A no-drama zone. And so when you walk into a place and there's drama, I'm sure there's drama in your family, in your school.

In whatever friend group. We live in a world where it's just drama. And guys, a Jesus follower does not do drama Instead, we can walk away from that or we can protect, we can encourage, lift others up. Guys, there's notes and pens and lifesavers for you there. And there are seats. Come on in. A Jesus follower. Here's another thing. If someone confides in you, you don't repeat and you don't retweet. That's private. They trusted you. You know how you feel when you say something to someone and then you might hear it back. Later, man, you're not going to trust that person again. What if you are the trustworthy person in their life as a Jesus follower?

A Jesus follower does not think they are better. We all have different gifts, but God made us all. He made every single human being, every ethnicity, male, female, he is He he has made us uniquely us. So we are not better. A Jesus follower does not always focus on themselves. It's not always about Lisa. It's not always about Point at yourself. It's about other people. A Jesus follower does not fire hurtful bullets. Okay, here's the shot where she is uh literally smashing the machine gun.

So Can you imagine doing that in our world today? So a friend who is a Jesus follower is a gift What if someone feels safe because you deflect the bullets? Now I'm not saying you have to go get bracelets like Wonder Woman, but what if you stop the bullets? You're a safe person. Okay. And then people this is what people want, you guys.

What People Really Need

People want relationship. Oh, sure. Uh yes. Yes, a friend who's a Jesus follower is a gift to have in your life. So Ooh, oopsie. People want relationship. These are things we are all created to have and desire. To not feel alone, to know someone cares, truly cares, to be seen. To be known. Guys, there's a time in the Bible where this woman was cast out into the desert with her child and God saw her and it's a beautiful Part in the Bible where we see God sees. If he can see some some of you live by the desert or in the desert. Can you imagine? God sees If he can see this lady that no one cared about and her son, he sure sees you. And I love that.

And can you imagine if you have Jesus' eyes? To be seeing someone. Jesus, there was a short guy, Zacchaeus. No one cared about. You know what? Jesus saw him. He didn't just see me, called him by name. He does that with you because he knows you, he made you, he loves you. And can you imagine someone seeing you? We know maybe we haven't felt like what is what it is to be seen. But we have the power to do that, you guys, to be known. And to be in a safe space too, to be known.

So Jesus met people in all those ways. It shows the heart of God how much he loves us, he made us, he sees us, he knows us. And you know what guys? No one else in this room. Knows everything about your life and my life, but the one who made you. And you know what? He wants you to crawl up in his lap. And he's the dad you never had, he's the parents you never had, he is the one who loves you more than anyone on earth. And only what he says matters about how valuable you are.

Nothing anyone ever says on earth can take that away. And I love that so much. This is the heart of God. And we we're not going to be perfect, guys. We're not going to be like going out like, hey, I'm going to be Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, whoever. No. We're leaving a trail that Jesus would, because we're taking a look at what he did and how we lived.

The Trail We Leave

Galatians 5, um, we are able to show the heart of God. And here is a look at this. But the fruit of the spirit This is when we choose to have a relationship with God. And then the Holy Spirit lives in our life, comes and we grow fruit when we show these things in our life. Love. Picture this in our world. Love. Wow. Joy. Peace. There is so much crazy out there. It's like Do we do this? Do we not? There's war. Are we going to run out of these things? I I you know, there's so many things, but there's peace. And even when we don't know, when things are uncertain and we have peace, that's powerful.

Forbearance, pay, that's patience, kindness. Goodness, guys, these are so basic. These are not like, oh, I gotta work really hard to be. These are basic things that we don't find in our world a lot right now. Faithfulness, gentleness Self-control and look at this. I told you I got to some of you earlier on, I got to share this with some young people from a closed country where they're not allowed to talk about Jesus publicly. And here's the thing though against such things, all of these things, there is no law against this stuff, no matter what country, no matter what a government says, there's no law against this stuff because it's being kind. It's being good. These are it's just beautiful how God is when we choose to walk God's way and then treat each other treat others like this. Oh, whoop, sorry. Okay, so these are some of the things we want to leave: a trail of love, a trail of joy, a trail of peace, a trail of patience. A trail of kindness. All these are all the things we just saw in Galatians 5. So later, if you want to look up Galatians 5, if you don't have a Bible, let someone here know.

But Galatians 5, just plug these in. And say, wow God, can I try to leave a trail in this way like this? So trail of goodness, trail of faithfulness, trail of gentleness. People are so short. They have no time for anybody sometimes. Can you imagine if we're like, you know what? I gotta get somewhere. I gotta do this. But we take time. To stop. We take time to see. A trail of self-control, all of these things leave a beautiful life-giving trail. Okay, and then here's uh more from Galatians 5.

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh With its passions and desires. Basically, we're saying, I'm not going to be just all about me. And since we live by the Spirit, God's way, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. Guys, I love that part. Provoking and envying. That provoke word, do we see that on social media? Okay, so I know this person, so I this is what how people live.

We're like provoking, like in their face, right? And like provoking and say, come on, come on. People do that all the time. What does Jesus do? He lives the opposite. Now, yes, some people got aggravated with his teaching, like some of the religious leaders and things, but Jesus was not provoking to say, hey, come on, come on. Our world is like that. People sit behind a keyboard, write things, and a Jesus follower does not provoke. It's a beautiful, beautiful way to there we go. Don't provoke. Really big. There, Nakota. You should have I should have had that up and you should have pointed at it when I was provoking you to. So th guys, so much in our world today is that

opposite of what we just read from God's Word. And there's a reason it's the best-selling book of all time that the Bible is.

Practical Ways to Show Jesus

So we can show Jesus. Here are some here are some practical ways. We can show Jesus. We can speak, like speak it. We can write it. We can have an action of some kind. We're gonna talk about some other specifics. Sometimes it's presence being with someone. My mother-in-law has been in the hospital recently and she was just sleeping a lot of the time recovering from something and we were just there. It was just presence And then another friend of hers would come and it's presence.

Sometimes it's just sitting there. And you know what something I've observed? Native people are really good at having presence. with each other and it's something I think some other cultures could learn from as well. But I love that. So speak, write, action, presence. being with and guys when we look at the opposite you know there's opposite words out there what is flowing out of me we can have words of death We can have words of life. And so when we talk, now I'm not perfect with this, you guys.

I love to touch the lives of other people and encourage them, but I'm gonna be tired I'm gonna be hungry. I'm gonna be grumpy. And but we can still we still just have to you always want to be thinking, okay, what's coming out of my mouth Is it words of life and hope or words of death that are just crushing someone's spirit? And guys, we've been on that side usually of being crushed by other people's words, and so we can live so different. Okay. So

The Trail Jesus Left

Jesus left a trail, and he left a trail of people, forever changed. And a trail He left a trail of unseen people who were now seen. There was a lady at a well who was sleeping around. And in the heat of the day, she would go get her water, you guys. Because when she went to the well in the morning when it was cooler or at night, guess what happened? It was a drama zone. The other ladies are getting their waterbs because she's the one sleeping around with other people And Jesus went there in the heat of the day.

Guys, like this, he went in the heat of the day to tell her about hope and that knowing him would give her life. She was one of the unseen people. Well she was seen by people, but chatted about behind well in front of her back. But he left a trail of unseen people now seen, a trail of hopeless people, now with hope. Guys, we know what hopeless feels like. There are just days we feel we have no hope. And we know if we choose to follow Jesus, He offered hope. He left a trail of people who were always walked by. Literally people. There was a man. Who was injured on the road from another country and no one wanted to deal with him? It was called Samaria. Put whatever people you know you don't like and

There on the other side of the road. He did he someone walked by. One person. There are all these people who walked by and didn't take care of this hurt wounded man. One person walked by, took him and gave him lodging and took care of his wounds. That's the kind of person Jesus is, and that's the kind of people we are when we choose to follow him. Jesus saw. and stopped. And guys, here's the big thing, he has seen you and stopped. And when we do that for other people

It can change a life. You might not think that's a big deal and can change a life, but it sure does. I've seen this with my own friends and people. I've come in contact with. So what a trail to leave. You can leave that kind of trail. You might not feel like it But I know you can in your world. And here's what we do to learn. We watch Jesus. You know, we don't have to binge watch Netflix for this. Binge watch Jesus and look in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and first four books of the New Testament and just see how Jesus lived. It's amazing how he cared and loved and was truthful. A Jesus follower needs to observe how Jesus lived. And see how Jesus related with people.

Is there anyone who could maybe just shut the curtains over there? I wonder if that might help the glare for you guys. I don't know if you guys have the glare. Thank you. Appreciate that. And guys, we are each broken. We're not perfect. And God uses us broken. No one is perfect. The only perfect person was Jesus. He was fully God. fully man. If they're not closable, that's fine. He was fully God, fully man. But guys, God uses us broken. You may there are days you guys they could have been some of my hardest days. But you know

Those days I've been like, okay, who needs me? And it has turned my day around. And it's gotten the focus off of me And saying, oh poor me, this is so hard right now. And when you're like, who needs me today? How can I touch someone's life today? And boy, it has made my day. completely different, but it is a choice we have to make.

Putting It Into Practice

So guys here here are some of the things. We've talked about the um the trail. Here here's some um some of the other thing we watch Jesus. Um we're broken, not perfect. We learn people, they're milestones like we talked about. The day they lost someone, maybe it's when they got married, when they um when they got divorced, painful moments but also joyful moments. And text someone, I had a friend who um she doesn't know Jesus yet, but her husband died a couple years ago and I wrote down, I didn't know her anniversary, but I saw in the the obituary. I wrote it on my calendar and I said, you know, just so I remembered, I didn't know what I was gonna do, wrote it in my calendar The on her anniversary, several months after her husband died, I just sent got her a cupcake. And just so she knew someone was thinking about that hard day. That's the kind of thing we can do, guys. We can send a note. You can send a text that says, I'm thinking of you today. I'm praying for you today. But here's one thing, don't say you're praying.

I usually say I just prayed for you. Because if I say I'm praying for you, I'm probably gonna forget. So I try to do it right there in that moment. So I have prayed for that person. So learn their hard days, their milestones, their anniversaries And then we can reach out on those days. Here's another thing. I you can just ask God. God, I want to see people the way you do. That's what God eyes is about. Just ask him to say, How can I see this person And here's something in the Bible that's really powerful.

When it said Jesus was looking at a crowd It said he had compassion. And guys, I don't know a lot of Hebrew. The Bible was had a lot of Hebrew in it. And uh, but it says that Jesus felt compassion. All the way down, like in the entrials, in his intestines. I don't know. That's how he his heart was going out to people that he saw in this crowd. Do you feel that way? about people? Like, do I? Do I feel that? Like, oh my goodness Lord, I'm just sick about they have no hope. And it says he looked at them and he saw they were helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Now some of you are Navajo, you really like that sheep part because you're like sheep without a shepherd, you're gonna have some trouble there, right? So I have a Navajo sister-in-law, so she she loves sheep, she loves mutton. But guys, compassion, do we feel it? in literally in our intestines. That's pretty graphic about how Jesus loved people. Um you're not their messiah. Whoops. There we go. There it is.

Compassion Without Carrying

I have compassion for these people. Uh there's that verse. Oh, whoops, now I'm just going too fast guys, sorry Um, so you're not their messiah. One thing my parents told me when I was in high school, 'cause my friends, like they would come to me, talk to me about whatever going on, and they told me, Lisa, you can't get overwhelmed. You can care, but don't carry. That's a huge thing. Care for others, sure, but you can't carry it. Only Jesus can carry that and he carried it to the cross, all the crud from your lives, all the crud from anyone in our world, the entire world. And only he could carry that.

And it was nailed to the cross. With us, we cannot carry that. We're not their messiah, we cannot save them, but we can sure point them to point them to the one who gives that hope. So guys, here's here's a verse. This is kind of cool. It's in Hosea And it says the earth will respond to the grain and they will respond to Jezreel. You know what? I think this um Oh yes, okay. They will respond to Jezreel. What in the world does Jezreel mean? It means God plants This is pretty cool. We can't we get to help. Sure, God uses us to encourage people, to speak into their lives, to be able to make a difference, share hope, point people to him and the hope he can give. But God's the one who plants.

That's what this Jezreel verse is. They will respond to God planting Sure, he can use you, but he's the one who plants and God is the one who saves. I love that.

Looking for God Sightings

God sightings. What does that mean? This is something my parents um uh my uh My family, you'll hear my dad talk tonight. His name's Ron. And my parents talk to us about God sightings. What does this mean in our day? Looking for where God shows up. Guys, I've looked for God sightings in people's in my own life, in other people's lives when they've been going through hard times. I will tell you there was one time where um my nephew Had um a surgery and he had had some heart issues, and my kids have been praying for this surgery that day, and so We ended up getting a call saying he's okay. The surgery went well. And my son looked out the window, he was maybe seven years old, and he said, There's a rainbow, Mom.

And he said, that's because my cousin's okay. And I was like, you know, that's a God sighting. When you can see where God shows up In your days when it's the hardest. It might be a sunset, guys, and boy, you guys live some places there are some really pretty sunsets. It might be a sunrise. I'm not a morning person. I don't really see the sunrise, but you might. And you know It might be something as simple as that. When my mom died, someone brought me um I don't know if you have Sonic where you are, but it's she just brought me my favorite Sonic drink. She came in, she did my dishes, she folded some laundry. And guys, sometimes we can all do that.

You know, we can do these simple th that meant so much to me. You've no idea. Because my mom had been gone for just a couple of days at that point. So these are God sightings. Thinking of others. Uh thinking of others. And when we're hurting, when they're hurting and we say Poor me or we say who needs me, those are ways we can help. Um so leaving a trail means making a difference in the small things. Guys, I don't have a huge budget. I can't Do all the things I would like to my heart is way bigger than my wallet. But guys, it's small things.

It might be taking uh you know, a coffee. It might be making fry bread. I don't make fry bread. My sister-in-law makes amazing fry bread. But who knows? It could be whatever. Thinking of others before yourself. Those small things really add up So guys, it's not about you, it's not about me, it's about Jesus and thinking about others before yourself And the trail you leave and uh treating people like Jesus did, I'm gonna go back here wait. There we go. You are showing them Jesus, but Jesus with skin on. They can't see Jesus. They might be like I don't want God or Jesus, but if they see someone who follows Jesus and is kind to them. Who encourages them, who remembers their hard moments, who sends a text on a day that's rough.

That's showing Jesus with skin on, because you're right there. That's showing Jesus. You are his person in your world there. So the trail you leave is treating people like Jesus did. So put yourself in the shoes of someone who doesn't know Jesus yet. That life, there's not a lot of hope. usually. There's a lot of fear. And you know what when someone sees us and shows up in makes a difference, it can really touch their life. So here are some some ways.

Living It Out

How am I talking? How am I coming across to people? How am I talking? What am I doing? What am I saying? How am I saying something? What am I representing And when we live out love and live out caring, it makes all the difference. So we can seek, like we said, seek we can seek to live Like Jesus is saying, who needs Jesus today? Not just who needs me, but who needs Jesus and who needs Jesus lived out today in my world. And living that out makes a difference and makes a real big impact, you guys.

You'd be surprised how much it can do. And we really can touch the lives of anyone as a Jesus follower. How? Okay. Here are some practical ideas. We've talked about some. Now here's something I encourage you to. People aren't just going to come up and say, today's a hard day. I need you to encourage me And that would be weird. Someone might, but you know, I they're not gonna say this it someone might say, you know, yeah, it's been hard, but um then we need to know we can step into their life.

You want to intentionally look and care and kind of put yourself in the lives of others. And Then we gain cred, credibility to speak into their life when we show up. I have a friend. We don't have tons in common She does not know Jesus yet. I just had lunch with her again this last week. We connect on some things, but you guys, I'm just trying to intentionally put myself in her life because then I can care about the things. So then when her dad died, I said, you know what? I'd given her a Bible with her name on it a couple of years before. And I said, why don't you bring that with you? to when we go have lunch today and I gave her some verses where it talks about how God can give us comfort. Guys, there's so many things we can do. But a lot of times we have to look for those opportunities. And God will show us when we ask Him. So ask what matters to them. in their life. With my friend, there are certain things that matter. I have lots of different friends from different backgrounds and walks of life. And I'm like, what does matter to them?

And then make the most of those opportunities to speak into their life. Again, we talked about anniversaries, milestones, when will they feel alone? And here are some of the things we can share. Guys, when we have the hope of Jesus, and you might even be in here today and be like I don't have this hope in Jesus yet. And we'll chat about that in a little bit. But Jesus offers so much hope. Guys, I What my life would be so different if I didn't choose to walk with Jesus.

There, whether it's loss, hard times, joy, peace, whatever it is, comfort, God Offers it all. And my greatest hope has in my life has been knowing Jesus. So here I share about that. with m with friends whether they know Jesus or whether they don't know him yet. And by sharing openly about our own personal hurts and joys and our hope and our source of strength and our source of peace and our source of joy, these are the things we share with people and they walk through those same hurts and they might not have that joy, that hope, that peace. We can show up and share our personal story of hope. And we can share anything. The Bible literally says in one spot, it says, they overcame him Well, the enemy, by the blood of the Lamb, who is Jesus, when he was killed on the cross for us, and by the power of their story Power of their testimony. So guys, your story, no one can argue with your story. You're not coming at someone saying, you know what, this is what you should do. You're sharing your story of hope. Your personal story. So it does take opening up a little bit.

You don't have to air all your you know past, but to say, you know what, God has shown up for me after the loss of my mom. And gave me comfort, gave me strength for different stuff. She was my mom, my co-worker, all kinds of things. So guys, when I share that, people appreciate that. Hope. And we get to share this. Now we can use scripture when we share. Guys, you can share whatever. There's one verse I love in Psalm 63. If you want to look it up, it's one of my favorites. I found it not long after my mom died. And it says, um, my soul clings to you.

Your right hand upholds me. And I was like, oh my goodness. And I share this with people all the time of when uh your right your my soul clings to you and I pictured like a child hanging on to their mommy or daddy you know this little kid and I'm like if I hang on to God like that what does it say he'll do? Your right hand upho upholds me. And that's a promise when we hang on to God. So I share that with people. If you have a favorite verse that has really jumped out to you in the Bible, pop it in there And a lot of times I'll say words that aren't hard to understand.

I might sometimes refer to the best-selling book of all time. Now, I Usually I if I see people share like a verse on social media, that's great. But you know what I really appreciate if someone says why those words are important to them. That makes a difference. Why are they sharing this? Great. They like what it says, but if I say, hey, these words have given me hope. when I haven't had any, or these words have given me comfort. Um another thing, let's look at how Jesus communicated. He used Everyday life examples. He would walk along and see a fruit tree and he would talk about that. He would walk along and uh see water or whatever and he would He would do that. So guys, you can do that.

Look at everyday examples. You know what I saw today? And I took a picture of it? This is pretty cool. When you walk over to where you took the picture today, there's a cutoff stump Totally stump on the ground and there's like four little tiny things that have grown up around it. And you know what hit me about that? When I feel like I'm like totally at the end and like I've been cut off. You know what? God still gives us some new life Around that guys, it's everywhere. That's a God sighting. That's looking at how Jesus lived. You know, it's that's walking through our days and seeing the hand of God in our days. Okay, now who did um

Who did Jesus give value to? Well Jesus validated all people and gave them value. Because He made them. He valued everybody. You know, in this day, sometimes people are like, well, women aren't valued. You know, in Jesus' day, they were really not valued. And then he steps in and he gives value to them and treats them special. Babies were left on uh in jars like on the street corners in Rome to die because they weren't valuable. I have a daughter from China because they were adopting girls from China. And you know, because they weren't seen as valuable.

You know what that's a bunch of garbage because we are valuable because of God making each and every one of us uniquely us. And that's powerful. No matter who you are, no matter your gifts, no matter your talents, no matter if you believe it. You are valuable. And Jesus walked through life saying that. He just valued everybody. So how do we talk with anyone? No matter who, there's a hurt and there's brokenness. We've talked some about this, okay? And so

Here's a great equation. I'm not a math person, but this is one of my favorite math problems here. My personal story We'll use the example again. My mom died, okay? Um, you can think of your own person. Plus, you pray for an open heart. Plus, you tell of the hope you have found, plus you be there for them And guys, look at this. It plants seeds in people's life. That doesn't mean one time when you remember someone's hard day, they're going to be like, oh, I want to know Jesus. But guys, it plants seeds.

And remember, we go back to that word Jezreel. God plants, and then God is the one who saves. But we get to do this. That's what leaving a trail is all about. Planting these seeds. So, what could someone do to show Jesus in your community? on your reservation, in your school, at your college or workplace, in your family, and in your home You might not have peace in your home. You're like Lisa, you don't know. Guys, I know there's so much. Rough and tough stuff in our worlds. I know some of you in this room you're like, I've been abused in my home. I hate my home. I'm just stuck living there because it's the house So I have a roof over my head.

You're like you have no idea my workplace where they just talk behind our back. They don't value me. But guys No matter how we are treated, we have the power to treat someone else special and show that Jesus difference. And I am sorry for the hard things in your life too. It should not be a world like that. But that's when you have all that of all that garbage in people's lives is like the backdrop You can have your story that speaks so much power into their life and can offer hope and peace and all the things. So trail leaving, leaving that trail is touching hearts and pointing people.

to Jesus. Because you can live in a chaotic place and have peace. Because the Bible talks about peace that goes beyond our understanding. And guys, I've had that in moments when I'm like Why do I feel peaceful right now? I was on a plane not long ago and we were about to land in this particular city. I was about to land in Charlotte, North Carolina. They kinda go faster, it feels like, to get over the trees and then they land. Well this time we were going faster and then all of a sudden we're headed, we're almost on the ground. And then we're headed back up in the sky.

And I'm like, whoa I'm like and it was just quiet. The young guy next to me, teenager across the aisle, he was like gripping the seat. The guy in front of me was wildly looking around. People there just fear entered. The plane at that moment, like what's happening? Because you don't know. Okay, are we gonna hit another plane going back up in the sky or this is not normal? And then after a while no one said anything. I couldn't see any of the flight attendants because I try to see, well are they chill or are they freaking out? They're always chill, but they might be freaking out inside. And then finally the captain comes on.

And he says, sorry about that. We were getting a little too close to the traffic in front of us. And I'm like, well, thank you, God, for protection of, you know, having the wisdom to go around instead of, you know, getting too close. But here's the thing in that moment I had peace. And you felt the fear like people are like, whoa, you know, and You can have peace when you don't know what's going on. And even when the captain, your captain will come on, when your captain's Jesus, you know.

He's got this. He might not come on right away and say everything's okay, but you know it because you are his. And he's never gonna do anything that will hurt you. Sometimes we make choices that really stink and they hurt us. But God's God loves you and he has an amazing plan for your life. But here are some other ideas, guys, that we can do. We can give a little gift. Again, it depends on What God puts on our heart to do and also our budget. I can't always do that. Give a little gift, bake something Fry bread, a gift card, a note, maybe babysit, you know, someone might be having A hard time, a single mom or something? What if we offer to, you know, take care of their littles?

Uh bring dinner, show up for the milestones. We've talked about that. Because guys, you know why I keep coming back to milestones? Life is so fast. In our world, people forget so fast. When we go on social media, we're not seeing old stuff. We're seeing what? The new stuff that's like right there. We forget. We keep moving on. New news comes out. We forget. We move on. People forget the milestones. And so when you show up as someone who loves Jesus, follows Jesus.

They're like the Jesus follower is the one who remembered the day my person died, the day my marriage fell apart, the day this happened, whatever. So give time, give a note. Listen, some of these things are free guys. Now they might be your time, but that's a gift too. People don't forget that They see that you've given that. Um, and guys, don't wait for a spiritually open door necessarily. You pray. We talked about pray for that open heart and that equation Be ready. And then talking about life's most important relationship can just roll off your tongue and sharing about your hope.

It's really a powerful way to live, you guys. Can you imagine if all believers and Jesus followers lived like this, the difference that would make. In your community. Just think from it, do you think your c your community would be different? If people live like this Do you think your home would be different if all your family was like this? Even one person in a family. Can make a difference. Do you think your workplace would be different? And you're like, ugh, I don't see any of those being different.

But guys, we have a chance to show Jesus. So I encourage you to set out to represent Jesus and no other agenda. I will never I have friends who are all different lifestyles, all different backgrounds, who don't Know Jesus yet, and I will never talk about things that are more divisive, but I will represent Jesus and Him alone Because he's the hope giver. I won't even vouch and say, I'm never going to say follow Christians, follow a Jesus follower, because you know what? They're not perfect. Only Jesus. I will only follow Jesus. And that's why I have no other agenda.

I really only want people. to have hope. Because guys, we live in a world where people are hopeless and we get to share our hope. So you can easily live out how you love all people, not because you have natural compassion. You might be like, I don't have that kind of compassion. But God can give you that compassion. And guys, you ask him and he will. So people in your world cannot see Jesus, but you are in their life. And you can show them Jesus and his love through your actions.

And then we talked about you can show Jesus with skin on. And that's you, you guys.

A Final Invitation

I have a question for you guys. Do any of you have any questions? Like that's kind of a lot. This is how I love to live my life. But you know what? Actually, before we get to questions, I want to touch on one other thing. If you are sitting here today and you're like, Lisa, I don't know this Jesus yet. This sounds great, but I'm still on the side of I don't have hope. And I want that hope. I want to take a minute, if you can just close your eyes with me for a moment. And I want you to just take a minute and just quietly, I want you to just talk to Jesus. And you can say something like, Jesus, I want this hope. I want this peace you offer. I want this joy. I want this life you can give And Jesus, I'm sorry for choosing to live life my way. And Jesus, I want to live life your way. Will you come into my life? And I want to follow you.