Discussion in the Car

Something I've always wondered about is how to be that "witness" that I want to be. What that looks like. How to portray Christ in my actions and for the world to see. What does that look like practically? For me, this plays out at work. I've worked for Double Dave's Pizzaworks for 2 and a half years and have been at my current location for 5 months now. I was at a different location for 2 years and I made many friends out of coworkers and most people liked me. I made a few enemies and I would love to say that it's because I loved Jesus too much for them to handle or something "spiritual" like that but it wasn't. I can think of a few people that just couldn't stand me or the sarcasm/humor that flows through my viens. Sometimes I'll make a comment or say something and immediately regret it and wonder how I'm being Christ to my co-workers. I often wonder how I must come across to non-Christians. The guys I work with now have tried logicalizing my actions based on the worlds standards and just don't get it. I'm the "goody two shoe" girl. There is a saying by some old dead person that goes something along the lines of "share the gospel and when necessary use words." That is a phrase that I've often pondered how to actually recreate in my own life. How do I act and carry myself in such a way that it points to God. I often feel like my day has a few highlights where I did a pretty good job of representing Christ but then a whole butt-load of places that I screwed it up. I am a big time believer in grace and know that God forgives me for those thing but I often find myself kicking myself because the people watching me aren't as apt to "forgive and forget" as God is. They remember those things and hang on to those memories of me screwing up. What kind of picture of my God is that? Not a very good or accurate one. I gave a car ride to and from a Christmas party to a co-worker that I had become very close with. Her boyfriend came too and since I had talked to him several times he felt comfortable asking me questions and having a deeper conversation. I have to say that until then I hadn't fully reailzed how completely different and abnormal I looked to non-Christians. He hung out with us at the party and was drinking (he is 30 or so) and had a good time. Time to leave. We are riding in the car and he starts to question my entire faith and everything I believe in. He asks question after question and we had a very good discussion. I was completely unprepared for his questions but the thing that stood out to me the most is that I never told him that I was a Christian or pushed it on him at all. I think the first thing he asked about was what I believed about sex and marriage. I wear a purity ring and I'm sure he got that topic from that. I know his girlfriend (my coworker) told him about me because she knows me really well but he picked up on my beliefs very quickly. I hadn't ever been spotted and pointed out that quickly and it surprised me very much. It made me happy though because I had a chance to stand up for what I believed and had a chance to actually talk about what I believed without feeling like I was shoving it in someones face. We talked for about 30 minutes about my faith and why it looks like it does. His big thing was that I didn't have a boyfriend. After we cleared up that I wasn't gay, I told him that I didn't want to date to just have fun. Dating is really about finding that person God wants you to marry. I told this guy that I hadn't dated anyone because I didn't feel like I was in anyway close to a place where I would get married and so I didn't want to jump into something that entailed marriage. Anyway, long story made short, he didn't fully understand my beliefs and kept asking questions. It was one of the coolest car rides ever. As I was dropping them off at their apartment he leaned in the window and said "Good luck on your search for the holy grail." While sometimes it hurts to see people belittle my faith (and it happens a lot at work) I'm happy to get a chance to show people that God is really there and really wants a relationship. Times like that car ride make me believe that actions do show God to people, but those conversations don't happen enough for me to always remember that.