A lawyer argues. A lawyer convinces, cajoles, and spins. A lawyer makes a case and tries to convert. A lawyer plans and schemes. A lawyer only tells the side of the story that benefits the case. These are not bad things…it’s just what a lawyer does.
A witness tells what happened. A witness does not speculate or assume. A witness was there. A witness felt it, saw it, and lived it. A witness relies on the truth of the story.
I think too often as Christians we think we are supposed to be lawyers for Jesus. Like God needs us to make a case for Him, or else the jury will convene and rule against Him (or us). And if that happens, that we’ve failed because we weren’t convincing enough.
It’s a lie.
We are called to be witnesses. Share what has happened to us, how we felt, what we’ve seen, where we’ve been. It’s our story that’s important. It’s our story that will connect with people, not our arguments.
So let’s put away the spin and the rock-solid defense (that’s not so rock-solid) we’ve tried to construct. Let’s stop acting, thinking, and relating to others like we were lawyers.
Let’s share our stories with love and humility and listen to others as they share theirs.