40 Faces, 40 Places: A Devotional JourneySample

Arulnathan from Singapore

Sometimes whole-life discipleship looks like gently sharing hope with others.

I’m a former journalist and now a freelance writer and editor. In the months after the COVID-19 pandemic reached Singapore, almost all the workforce had to work from home or faced sudden unemployment. Mental health issues rose, and many people sought encouragement and hope.

A month in, I began taking long morning walks and shared short Facebook videos with encouraging messages after each walk. Some of my colleagues shared how the videos encouraged and inspired them. After reading the Bible passage for the day from the YouVersion app, I thought I would share the Verse of the Day via WhatsApp with my Christian and non-Christian friends and colleagues.

At first, I received no responses and thought the experiment had failed, but one of my friends who doesn’t follow Jesus shared how the verses encouraged and even strengthened her during tough times. She encouraged me to keep sending the daily verses and even shared other friends who would love them. Since then, I’ve shared my videos and Bible verses daily, and some of my colleagues have even joined me in an online Alpha course. I’m thrilled to be using technology to join in God’s kingdom work!

Webinars and resources have opened my eyes to creative ways I can be involved in reaching out to people who do not know Jesus, not only in the workplace but through every aspect of our lives.

Reflection

Arulnathan’s story is a testament to the simple power of sharing the hope of Jesus with those around us. Even in the depths of lockdown, he recognized he had a frontline: his WhatsApp groups. He saw the fear and anxiety his friends and colleagues were going through, and in a straightforward, loving way, he offered them the thing that was keeping him going – his faith.

God worked through that gentle gesture – even when Arulnathan thought it had failed - to help connect Christians and non-Christians with the truth of the good news, even when they were ‘going through many hardships.’ Who could you encourage with hope today in a way that connects with what’s going on in their life?

Prayer

Lord, thank You that Your gospel is a source of hope for me, my Christian brothers and sisters, and those who don’t know You yet. Please show me who needs to hear that hope on my frontline today. Give me the courage, gentleness, words, and actions to share it with grace and love.