Bold Baby Steps
One of my favorite go to movies as a kid was the 1991 comedy What About Bob. This classic Bill Murray film pairs Richard Dreyfuss, who plays a conceited psychotherapist with a recluse named Bob Wiley (played by Murray). It’s so bad for Bob that he can barely manage leaving his apartment let alone function in any other meaningful way in society. One of the best scenes in the movie is when Bob is attempting to board a Greyhound to New Hampshire.
Bob recites to himself the tag line of his therapist's famous book “Baby Steps”...
Baby steps onto the bus…baby steps down the aisle…baby steps into the seat.
I think Bob is on to something when it comes to dealing with hard things in our life. When facing something big or difficult…taking large bites can often choke us and leave us worse off than where we started.
As our church continues to move through the book of Acts together, we talked about the importance of boldness in the Christian life and how boldness is not something we derive out of our own self-effort (see Acts 4). It is given to us by the Holy Spirit as we ask for it and then apply it in our lives. But that does beg the question…what does it look like to apply boldness in our life as followers of Jesus? And specifically for those of us that find ourselves paralysed or gripped by fear…how can we begin to take baby steps towards boldness.
Let me off your 5 suggestions to help you take baby steps onto the bus of boldness.
Pray for it
Not to state the obvious here but what if we began to cultivate a habit of praying for boldness like the early church did. Remember what they prayed: “And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness (4:29). One small step towards being bold for Christ is to ask him to make you bold.
Pray for opportunities
In a similar vein, we can begin to take steps towards boldness by asking God to provide opportunities to be bold. One thing you’ll notice is that when you begin to pray for opportunities you begin to see more vividly those opportunities appear in your every day. So what if you made it a habit to pray each time you left your house or got out of your car at work: Lord give me opportunities to be bold for Jesus today.
Pray for others
One thing you’ll notice about the current cultural state of affairs is that people might not be OK with Jesus but they are more spiritually interested than in recent decades. You’d be surprised at how open people are now to having you pray for them…or even dare I say with them. As co-workers share struggles or as friends express frustrations…let them know you’ll be praying for them. Begin to crack the door open for God to use you to speak the truth of the gospel in their lives.
Build relationships
What’s the old adage…people don’t care what you know unless they know you care. Sometimes boldness begins with intentional and patient relationship building. Inviting the neighbors over for supper. Taking the co-worker out for lunch. Spending a weekend at the cottage with a long-time friend. It’s out of those relational investments that God will often use you in bold ways to share Jesus. Don’t underestimate the power of relational presence to create pathways for gospel boldness.
Begin serving
This might sound like an odd babystep but serving in one of the ministries at Port City can be a baby step for you to cultivate boldness in your life. The habit of serving others and sacrificing your comfort for the sake of someone else is laying a solid foundation for further steps of boldness outside the walls of Port City. So…serve on the Kids team and learn to share the gospel with hungry little heathens or join the hospitality team and find yourself engaging with people who have never been to church before. Click here to get started.
Boldness isn’t something that we get overnight in an instant but it is something that God gives us…if we ask and then begin to apply in our lives. So what’s your next (or first) baby step towards boldness?
Pastor Jeremy
