Wear Your Resume

Did you see on the news the story of the college graduate in Indiana who took to the streets in search of a job? With a jug of water and a folder full of resumes, he stood at busy intersections wearing a sandwich sign that read, “College Grad Looking For A Job.” The headline on the story was, “College Grad Wears Resume.”That shouldn’t be a headline. In truth, we all wear our resumes. No big news in that. If you are applying for a job, your paper resume means only so much. If your credentials are fitting for the position, they will want to meet with you, listen to you talk, size you up, pay attention to your body language, observe how you dress, and in short, just see how you conduct yourself. When job searching, the resume you wear is at least as important as the paper copy you mail in.In 2 Corinthians 2:2-3, Paul wrote, “But the only letter of recommendation we need is you yourselves! Your lives are a letter written in our hearts, and everyone can read it and recognize our good work among you. Clearly, you are a letter from Christ prepared by us. It is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on stone, but on human hearts.”I think that giving away Christian literature, ranging from leaflet tracts to books on apologetics, can sometimes be a helpful witnessing tool. But few people will come to know Christ because someone gave them something to read. Tracts are helpful in situations where we have only a brief encounter with someone and books are good tools to encourage further thought and discussion with someone with whom you have already been sharing. But the power of the Gospel is found in the resume you wear! The person you are, the way you talk and conduct yourself, will make the greatest difference in reaching people for Christ. To the Ephesians, Paul spoke of this as the fruit of the Spirit, and then listed nine characteristics (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control) that will be part of the resume you wear if you are being controlled by the Holy Spirit.So, it’s not a matter of standing at a busy intersection wearing a billboard. It's not even about displaying a fish emblem on your car or a cross necklace around your neck. The most powerful way you can express the value of faith in Christ to lost people is by displaying it in your daily conduct.That’s a resume every Christian should wear!