I love talking to people about Jesus. Especially people who don’t know Jesus.

I’m always looking for little cracks to wiggle Jesus in. Or simple footbridges I could walk him over. Or words He could piggyback on straight into someone’s heart.

The two easiest paths? Joy and pain.

In the olden’ days, the primary heart-opening hammer was God’s wrath. “You should be afraid of the wrath of God.”

I agree you should. God’s wrath is no small thing. It gets paired with smote and brimstone a lot. (Much more dramatic than ‘sulfur.’) God’s holiness and our not-holiness are in direct odds. Never the twain shall meet.

There will come a personal death-day for each of us where God stops trying to break through to our hearts. His wrath becomes your only option if you’ve not made up before then.

But I find God’s wrath is not what scares people today. Unwise, yes. But the currently reality.

What does scare everyone, however, is death. Dying. Decay. Catching COVID and not returning home. Discovering pancreatic cancer that takes you in less than a month.

And the joy everyone excites over? Death being denied. Recovery and remission. Reconciliation between mom and dad and white and black. Roofs finally being restored and rooms rebuilt.

Every joy presents an opportunity to talk of Jesus because every joy finds its source in Jesus. He is the ultimate Reconciler, Restorer, Rebuilder. His resurrection changed the course of your personal history. Of everyone’s personal history.

Every pain presents an opportunity to talk of Jesus because every pain finds its ending in Jesus. He is the ultimate Sacrifice, Sufferer, Satisfaction. His death fends off death’s minions as we slog through this season. His death turns our deaths into a doorway to joy.

Lead with joy-answers as people wade through suffering in this season. Bring hope not a hammer.