How Do You Share Hope When You Don't "Feel" Like it?

Had a great meeting today with my leadership team.

Ron kicked us off in God's word, reminding us that it first starts with internalizing how much God really does love us. This is the foundation for our hearts to be changed so that we can OVERFLOW [Rom 15.13] into others with that same love.

Colossians 1:13-14 (MSG)
13 God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He's set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much, 14 the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating.

But what happens when we don't "feel" God's love to then love others? Shouldn't this truthful verse alone compel me to share this wonderful news? Well, sure... But real life tells us that we have become desensitized to the message - we need something more to get us motivated to share. Maybe God made us that way - to be dependent on His grace to give us the desire...:).

So I asked the team - how do you love someone enough to SHARE when you don't "feel it"?

• I need to pray at the beginning of my day to even be open to it.
• I do it regardless of how I feel - it's a command, not something you do only when you "feel".
• Sometimes, I just don't... there is the temptation to feel guilty but that isn't God's way. Other times, I realize my most exciting life adventures seem to be around when I step out and reach out to people - I get surprised in how they respond or how blessed I feel when I do. People want to know this hope I have! Then I reconnect with the joy of sharing.
• I have had to train myself over time to make it "automatic"... regular reading of scripture.
• I need to be around people that are doing it.
• If I am not "hungry" to share my love for God, I "exercise" to get the hunger. So, I place myself in opportunities to meet people who don't know Jesus and get to know them.
• I make a choice to get to know people. I simply start by asking questions about them, their job, their family background, how they grew up - going to church or not. Soon, I begin to care more.
• I try to imagine these people with similiar questions or doubts like me and it starts to sensitize me to the reality of all our needs as people - needing forgiveness to live life in its fullness.
  
  Some Questions for You:
  
• What is helpful for you to "get over the hump" - to overcome your apathy, fear or indecision - to share your hope with people in your life?
• What are benefits when you do?
• What do you miss out on if you don't?