Do you have all the answers to people’s questions? Of course not! Who does? In spite of everything we don’t know, we do know a pretty amazing person: Jesus. So, not to be evasive, but to be constructive, let’s point people to the one who does have all the answers and speak of Jesus.

Creation or evolution? Gay or straight? Left or right? It’s funny how much we talk about such things in comparison to speaking of Jesus. We’d all find more answers that we’re looking for if we spent more time on Jesus than the more popular debates of our times.

We’re not in a competition when it comes to faith. We are not supposed to win debates or even “win people.” Most of us prefer to avoid such confrontations. And yet, strangely (wonderfully), most people like Jesus. So, let’s just love people and speak of Jesus.

Do you believe God works all things together for good? When life hurts, “happily ever after” seems like the stuff of fairy tales. Are painful chapters in life redeemable? Does pain in life really serve a purpose?

Have you ever felt all alone in the world? Ever wonder if anyone cares, or ever will? Does your future feel like solitary confinement? To feel this way is one of the worst experiences in life. When everyone else seems to have left, where is God? Why doesn’t God provide?

Have you ever felt unappreciated? What do you do if you give your best and are only taken for granted or even abused in return? How do you keep on going? And for that matter, why isn’t God helping in this situation? You try to do right, but is God doing right by you?

What do you do when life betrays you? You had great dreams, but your present reality proves dismal. Worse: you cannot see any way of reversing your circumstances. When you’re broken, you must wonder where God is in this mess.

Some things are worth repeating. And when we forget, others can echo back what we need to hear—what we need to remember. Nobody can believe for you, but nobody believes alone. God intended faith family to be a means of grace in our lives.

Some things are worth repeating. For example, the words, “I love you,” never grow old. There are other words we also need to hear. We eat them up like starving people and we’re ready to hear them again. We crave their echo in our lives.

Some things are worth repeating—especially when we need assurance. Our feelings cover a spectrum. Where can we gain confidence? Throughout life’s ups-and-downs, God’s promises echo in our hearts to ground us, keep us, and direct us.