Witnessing

Today someone in my Christian fellowship was talking about how important he sees witnessing as being for our group, and how one of our major goals is to witness to our community.

Witnessing is really something I've never really been comfortable with. Partly because there's such a negative stereotype about it, what with evangelical Christians and all.  Even I find their witnessing aggravating, as a Christian.  And my mother is just so against it.  I mean, not against the whole idea, but against mindlessly doing it, yes, definitely. I think she's all for the actions over words. I remember watching Joyce Meyer and her saying that you can't witness (effectively) to someone if you don't know them, know where they are in their life. Also it's God who changes their soul anyway.

Anyway, he was talking about witnessing a lot, and how it's something Jesus did and wants us to do, pretty unequivocally.  It's a part of Christianity that I've largely ignored overall, and I think listening to him talk reminded me that that doesn't work--you can't pick and choose with Christianity, it's all or nothing. I just find witnessing... problematic. OK, yes, because it's uncomfortable for me, and I'm a very private person. But also because I just feel like it can be so judgmental, and I am nowhere near perfect. Maybe because I feel that I can't do God justice with my words, which I know is true. I don't know how to phrase it.  There must be a loving way to witness! Where did God say something about not needing to worry, because He'll give us the words when the time comes?  Well, I pray that He will give me courage and words when the time comes.