Unashamed and Unafraid
In a world that constantly demands we put our best foot forward, there's immense pressure to present a polished, impressive version of ourselves. From job interviews to social media profiles, we're conditioned to highlight our strengths and hide our weaknesses. But what if God's kingdom operates on entirely different principles?
TAKEAWAY THOUGHT
Real witness doesn’t mean being perfect in public—it means being honest about our
hope.The Pressure to Impress vs. God's Perspective
We often feel we need to "have it all together" before we can be effective witnesses for Christ. We think, "If I could just pray like her" or "teach like him" or "get my life in order," then I'd be qualified to share my faith.
But here's the liberating truth: You don't have to be impressive to be impactful.
This isn't just a nice sentiment—it's firmly rooted in Scripture. When Jesus spoke to His disciples in Matthew 5:14-16, He didn't start with instructions but with identity:
"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a stand. And it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."
What Does It Mean to Be "The Light of the World"?
Notice Jesus begins with "You are"—a statement of being, not doing. He doesn't say, "If you work hard enough, you might become light" or "Once you've achieved a certain level of holiness, then you'll qualify as light." He simply declares it as fact.
And who was He talking to? Not accomplished religious leaders or spiritual giants. He was addressing ordinary, often confused followers who were still figuring things out. These weren't people with impressive spiritual resumes—they were fishermen, tax collectors, and everyday people who stumbled and bumbled their way through following Jesus.
Yet to these imperfect people, Jesus confidently declares, "You are the light of the world."
Why Can Jesus Call Us "Light" With Such Confidence?
The answer is found in John 8:12, where Jesus says, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
We are light because He is light, and He works in and through us. Not through our carefully curated, projected image, but through us as we are—messy, imperfect, and real.
As Steve Brown writes in his book "A Scandalous Freedom," it's "so freeing to realize that we don't have anything to prove or to protect. We don't have to fix anything."
The Performance Trap: Good Days vs. Bad Days
Jerry Bridges in "The Discipline of Grace" illustrates this with a powerful comparison of two days:
Day One: You wake up refreshed, have a great quiet time with God, receive compliments at work, and when your neighbor asks about your faith, you feel ready and worthy to share.
Day Two: Everything goes wrong—you oversleep, argue with your spouse, spill coffee on yourself, get criticized at work, and then... that same neighbor asks about your faith.
Most of us instinctively feel more "qualified" to represent God on Day One than Day Two. But that's the performance trap. We wrongly believe we somehow self-qualify to point people to Jesus by what we do and how we've done it.
What Does Scripture Say About Our Identity?
The Bible consistently emphasizes that our identity as light is a fact, not something we earn:
1 Peter 2:9 tells us: "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."
Ephesians 5:8 states: "For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light."
These passages don't say "try to become light" but declare "you are light." It's a statement of being, not a goal to achieve.
How Can We Be Effective Witnesses Despite Our Flaws?
The apostle Paul gives us the answer in 2 Corinthians 4:5: "For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake."
We don't tell people about ourselves—we tell them about our Savior. In fact, sometimes acknowledging our struggles can make our testimony more authentic: "You know, it's funny you ask about faith today. I've had a terrible day, but let me tell you about the One who sustains me even when life is hard."
Paul embraced this approach when dealing with his own "thorn in the flesh." After begging God to remove it, he received this response: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Paul's conclusion? "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Why Does God Use Imperfect People?
Ephesians 2:4-5 reminds us of our starting point: "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ."
As Robert Capon powerfully states: "Jesus came to raise the dead. The only qualification for the gift of the gospel is to be dead. You don't have to be smart, you don't have to be good, you don't have to be wise, you don't have to be wonderful. You just have to be dead."
That's the gospel—not a self-improvement program but a resurrection story. God takes spiritually dead people and brings them to life. And here we are thinking we need to clean ourselves up first!
What About Jesus' Example?
When criticized for eating with "tax collectors and sinners," Jesus responded: "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Luke 5:31-32).
Jesus came for broken people because there aren't any other kinds of people. The only difference is some acknowledge their brokenness while others don't.
Life Application
This week, embrace the freedom that comes from knowing you don't have to be impressive to be impactful. God doesn't need your perfection—He just needs your willingness to point others to Him.
Consider these questions:
In what areas of my life am I caught in the performance trap, thinking I need to clean up my act before God can use me?
How might acknowledging my struggles actually make my testimony more authentic and relatable?
What would change if I truly believed that my identity as "light" is a fact based on Christ in me, not something I earn through my performance?
Who in my life needs to hear not about my accomplishments, but about the God who loves and sustains me despite my flaws?
Remember, we proclaim not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord. And that's a message we can share on our best days and our worst days, because it's not about us—it's about Him.
