The Public-Schooled Christian

Have you ever felt like you’re not measuring up to the expecations you have for yourself as a public-schooled Christian, or even as a Christian in general? Do you ever feel bothered by the fact that you aren’t measuring up to your own expectations, much less God’s? If so, you’re not alone. 

We as Christians desire to serve God well because is only natural to want to please someone we love. We often try to please God by doing things like reading our Bibles, praying, and sharing our faith. As public-schooled Christians, we might try to please God by sharing our faith with others. 

And it’s a very good thing to share the gospel in school and to witness to our classmates. But earlier this year, I wasn’t having much success with trying. I wondered, “Why do I lack the ability to dig deep in conversations about Jesus?” and “Why am I struggling with sharing the gospel at school?”

I felt like a failure and a hypocrite because I was struggling to tell others about Jesus, which is something really important to me. But recently, God has shown me several truths that have changed my mindset and helped me serve Him better.

Truth #1: It’s easier to share the gospel when people have time to talk.

If you have an opportunity to share the gospel during the normal school day, praise God! That’s a wonderful opportunity to serve the Lord.

However, it’s hard to have a conversation about the gospel in an environment where people are distracted by other things and have little time.

This isn’t to say we shouldn’t try to tal to people about Jesus, but classes are usually fast-paced and many days at school don’t leave room for a deep conversation about spiritual topics. Most gospel-centered conversations with our classmates may happen outside of class or when we have extra time during the day. 

When I talked with people about Jesus last school year, it was when my classmates and I had time on our hands.  Those conversations happened when I was talking to someone while waiting to be picked up after school or hanging out after class finished, when the school day was almost over. 

Talking about Jesus to someone when they have time is an ideal environment for sharing the gospel. This isn’t to say that seeds planted quickly don’t matter, such as telling someone that you are a Christian or praying at lunch before you eat. Those things do matter very much, but more in-depth conversations usually take time. 

However, sharing the gospel is not the only thing that matters while we are in school. 

Truth #2: How well we serve God in public school is not measured by how much we share the gospel.

Following God while attending public school is about more than sharing His story with others. It is also about being faithful to Him, standing strong in our convictions, and not letting the influences around us get in the way of our relationship with God.

Believing that our success as public-schooled Christians depends on how much we share the gospel will only lead to discouragement. Sometimes the idea that we should be witnessing to people more than we are can overwhelm us, but talking about Jesus isn’t the only way to represent Him. 

We can also represent Jesus by displaying His qualities and the fruits of the Spirit. We should be patient, loving, kind, joyful, faithful, and gentle. We should demonstrate self-control, peace, and generosity because those qualities will testify about what Jesus is like more than anything else. 

Luke 6:43-45 says that a tree is known by its fruit, and Christians are also known by the “fruit” we produce. We can proclaim Jesus from the rooftops, but what matters more is being filled by the Spirit, which is evidence that our lives are being changed by Christ. 

Our actions matter just as much, if not more, than what we say. Sharing the gospel is not the main point of being in public school… which leads into the last truth. This is probably the most important thing I realized because it shifted my whole perspective on being a public-schooled Christian. 

Truth #3: The main point of being a public-schooled Christian is not about showing Jesus to others, but about being faithful to God.

Being a representative of Christ is an important part of being a Christian in public school. But that’s not the main point. 

The main point is being faithful to Jesus and focusing on Him during school. We do not represent Jesus well so that we can be faithful; we focus on being faithful first, and representing Jesus well stems from that. 

If you were hiking up a mountain, which would you focus on: the top of the mountain or the path ahead of you? If you focused on the top of the mountain, you might know where you are supposed to end up, but you wouldn’t know how to get there because you weren’t focusing on the steps in front of you. You would probably trip and fall, or wander off of the path. 

However, if you focus on the path, the journey to the top of the mountain will be easier. When you make it to the mountaintop, you will be able to enjoy your final destination because you didn’t neglect the means of getting there. 

Being focused on God is like the path and becoming more like God is the final destination. If we focus on the final product and try our hardest to have joy, peace, and patience, it will not work nearly as well as simply following Jesus and becoming more like Him because we’ve fixed our eyeson Him. 

Our desire to be a faithful ambassador of Christ should stem from our love for God. Faithfulness includes being kind to our classmates, going out of our way for them, and treating them like Jesus would want us to. God gives us a desire to genuinely bless our peers because we have been blessed by Him.

When our focus is on Jesus, the right side effects will follow. 

What truths has God shown you this school year? Tell me in the comments!