Delivering Flowers

Growing up around my family’s flower shop has taught me some important life lessons. Practically speaking, I can tell you the off-season price of a peony or how to best hydrate hydrangeas. My parents and grandparents modeled customer service through servant leadership, seeking to celebrate customers’ greatest joys and deepest sorrows. Even spiritually speaking, flowers are a sweet reminder of how fleeting this life is. However, out of all the lessons I learned as a florist’s daughter, none have resonated with me more than what God taught me while delivering flowers in high school. 

Two Deliveries, Two Responses

The first stop on my after-school shift was awkwardly pleasant. After knocking on the door, an enthusiastic recipient jumped up and down, hugged me, and personally thanked me—all while brushing her teeth! I left with more than just toothpaste on my shoulder that day. Her happy acceptance of the gift of flowers warmed my heart. 

However, my next delivery squelched any lingering pleasantries! As I began to say hello, the recipient interjected: Who are these from? She immediately rejected the arrangement after I read aloud the card's message and sender. After trying to convince her to keep the flowers, I realized no amount of floral support could soothe the broken heart her boyfriend, the sender, had caused.  

Driving back to our shop, I could not stop mulling over what just happened. Why did one recipient readily accept while another cautiously declined? With each delivery, I arrived with a soft knock, a sweet spirit, and a beautiful arrangement in hand. After analyzing these different outcomes, I remember thinking: I am responsible solely for the delivery, not for their reaction. 

It was then I realized it’s exactly the same when sharing the Gospel. 

The Command to Share

If you've accepted the free gift of the Gospel, you know what a treasure it is. It is life-changing, both in this one and the next. It transforms our hearts and mends the broken relationship we once had with God. The Gospel is an irresistible invitation we’ve embraced, and it should be our joy to pass along the message to others. 

Scripture reminds us the Great Commission commands, not suggests, that we make disciples of all nations, teaching them to follow the Lord (Matthew 28:19–20). Paul reminds believers that no one can respond to God’s offer of forgiveness in Christ without first hearing the message of salvation (Romans 10:14–15). We are even called God's ambassadors, representing His love in a hopeless world (2 Corinthians 5:18). Nowhere in these verses do we find the pressure to perform or a command to convert. Our role is to sweetly deliver the message of Christ’s forgiveness and love.

Just like delivering flowers, we can't control how others respond to the Gospel.

This fact often brings a certain degree of fear or worry about sharing our faith. Maybe we're anxious about what others might think of us, or we don't feel equipped to present the Gospel. Either way, we often over-complicate our call to communicate or simply avoid it altogether. 

When we remove the weight of someone’s possible reaction and focus on allowing the Lord to work in their heart, we have nothing to lose but our breath. Instead of placing an unholy pressure on ourselves to preach the Gospel, let’s equip ourselves with some practical tools to help us obediently share our faith. Here are three I've personally found to be impactful.

Tell Out of Delight, Not Just Duty

I could talk about my undying love for Goldendoodles and Mexican food til the day I die. Why? Because those topics are near and dear to my heart! On a much deeper level, how much more precious is the Lord to us than our favorite pup or cuisine! When Christ is our treasure, sharing the Gospel is our best "get to" not "have to." We then tell others about the Lord's love out of delight, not duty. 

One of the easiest ways to share the Gospel is through your personal story of redemption. What has God saved you from? How are you forever changed through knowing Him? Our own need for the Gospel should propel us to preach it to others. When we've tasted God's grace, kindness, and love, we can't help but want others to know Him too. 

Burst Your Christian Bubble

If we aren't careful, we can quickly become trapped inside a Christian bubble between community groups, family, and friends. However, there is a mission field all around you! What Chick-fil-A do you frequent after soccer games, or who hands you your weekly caramel macchiato? Start building relationships with the people you daily interact with and you’ll slowly burst your Christian bubble. 

Ask your waiter how you can pray for him before you bless your food. Tell your neighbor walking through a divorce about the hope of God's love in unknown times. You never know if your massage therapist, grocery cashier, or pedicurist knows Jesus if you don't start a conversation with them. 

Practice Makes Progress

Maybe you've rehearsed a Jesus-conversation in your head a million times, only to never speak up. Or you've made friends with someone at the gym, but don't feel equipped to answer lofty questions she might have. Though we want others to know deeply of God, odds are we won't always eloquently present our faith. Practice doesn't make perfect, but it does help us feel more comfortable in the process of sharing the Gospel.

Be spiritually strategic in prepping your heart and mind with verses that might be helpful in gospel conversations. If someone asks a question you don't know the answer to, don't be afraid to say you'll get back to her with a more definitive answer. Others don't need us to be perfect in how we deliver the Gospel. They do, however, need to hear about the perfect One. 

Overall, the Lord has given us the ministry of reconciliation, not the impossible burden of saving people. How sad to think we forgo the joy of watching others switch from death to life out of fear of rejection or misunderstanding! 

The next time we have the chance to share the Gospel, let's stand firm in knowing we don't reconcile people to God. That's His job. When we tell ourselves we are not prepared enough or spiritual enough to tell others about Christ, let's cling to the calling of being Christ's ambassadors. That's our job. And when we do share the Gospel, let's pray others receptively choose to surrender to Jesus. That's their job.

May we be well-watered women who freely deliver the Gospel to others! 

Meet the author:

Megan Gover is the executive director of Minted Truth, an online Bible study resource for middle school and high school girls around the world. She and her team desire teen girls to know Christ deeper through Bible studies and resources available on their free Minted Truth app. When she’s not meeting with teen girls at a local coffee shop or dreaming up a new adventure, she enjoys cuddling with her Goldendoodle pup while at home in North Texas.  

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