The market shifted overnight. Offices shuttered. Jobs disappeared. Libby’s position was one of the first eliminated. No warning. No soft landing. Just gone.
She told me before she told most anyone else. After helping her pack her desk, I invited her to coffee the next day. And in that small café, with tears in both our eyes and coffee growing cold, I told her how God walks alongside us in the unknown. Libby accepted Christ that day. Twenty-one years later, she is still following Him.
But Jesus…
When lukewarm faith is normalized, authentic faith looks disruptive. Jesus was never content with civility alone. He went above and beyond. He saw people. Dignity. Worth. Image-bearers of God.
N.T. Wright once wrote, “When we look at Jesus, we see not just a good man but what God Himself looks like when He comes to heal His world.”
These are the truths I put into action as I walked alongside Libby.
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Jesus valued every person. Status never determined His love. He treated the poor, the wealthy, the overlooked, and the powerful with the same dignity. I had to learn to do the same…to see every boss, every coworker, every barista, every homeless neighbor as a child of God. “So God created mankind in his own image” (Genesis 1:27).
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Jesus put people before agendas. Even when it slowed Him down. Even when it cost Him time, energy, or reputation. I had to learn to redefine success, not just by tasks completed, but by people loved. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves”(Philippians 2:3).
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Jesus was authentic. He laughed. He wept. He grew angry. He never hid behind a polished mask. I began to see that authenticity speaks louder than performance. People respond to what is real. “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn” (Romans 12:15).
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Jesus commanded every follower to be a witness. Not just pastors. Not just missionaries. All of us. That meant me. I could not excuse myself with being “a nice guy.” I was just as responsible to share the Gospel at work as I was to support it across the world. “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15).
So here is the question: Who is your Libby?
