The Gospel Moment I Missed
A man approached me one quiet Sunday afternoon as I stood in line at the grocery store. I was distracted, half-listening to whatever ‘90s throwback was playing overhead, when he interrupted my thoughts with the most unexpected question: “So what drives your inner being?”
He said it like we were old friends catching up over coffee, not strangers under harsh fluorescent lights and the whirring hum of checkout lanes.
I froze. I stumbled over my words. I think I said something about my faith in Jesus Christ. But the moment was awkward and rushed. He smirked and replied he’d never heard of Jesus, then offered a well-rehearsed explanation about the earth’s energy and being good.
And just like that, the moment was over.
I walked away. But the conviction didn’t.
Almost a decade later, I still frequently think of this interaction. It still stings. I think about the man’s face and his words and wonder what might have happened if I had truly shared the hope within me.
Paul’s words in Romans 1:16-17* challenge us right here:
For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, ‘It is through faith that a righteous person has life.
This Gospel—it’s not just a belief we hold; it’s the very power of God that saves. It’s not a religious idea, it’s rescue. It’s not a private comfort; it’s the world’s only lasting hope.
When I reflect on that afternoon, I don’t sit in shame—I sit in renewed conviction. That moment revealed a deeper truth: I want people to know Jesus not because I should tell them, but because He is everything. He’s life, He’s love, He’s peace. I want people to know what I know—that Jesus redeems broken stories, calms restless hearts, and offers eternity.
Second Timothy 4:2 urges us to be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. That grocery line wasn’t convenient or planned, but it mattered. Maybe you’ve had a moment like that too—one that stayed with you. Not to haunt you, but to move you—to remind you of how deeply the world needs Jesus, and how much we long for others to find what we’ve found in Him.
We can’t go back, but we can go forward—ready, willing, and unashamed!
Let’s be people who speak the name of Jesus with clarity, conviction, and compassion. When we share the Gospel, we’re not checking a box, we’re offering someone the most crucial relationship of their life.
Lord Jesus, forgive us for the moments we’ve stayed silent when we could have spoken Your name. Give us hearts that burn with compassion for those who don’t yet know You. Fill us with boldness, not just to say we believe, but to lovingly share the truth of who You are. Help us carry the Good News with joy and confidence, ready to speak it wherever we go. In Your precious and holy name, we pray. Amen.
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Scripture is quoted from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
