My mom is one of the best people I know. She’s gentle and hilarious, absent-minded and clumsy, and a great listener. She’s poetic and genuine—an incredible writer and teacher who has, for years, taught an evangelism class at a Bible school in northern Mexico, where she serves as a missionary. I once asked her what studying, teaching, and practicing evangelism have revealed to her. She looked toward the sky, thought for a few seconds, then answered: “Evangelism is mostly about sowing seeds.” 

I love that because I think I’ve often made the mistake of believing that, in evangelism, every conversation depends entirely on me. I’ve thought: “I wish I were braver. I wish I were more persuasive. I wish I were better prepared.” Maybe you have too. 

But my mom, Allyson Searway, and Paul (in Colossians) show us a different reality. Paul doesn’t ask the Colossian believers to pray for boldness first. Instead, he asks them to pray that God would open a door for the message.

That reminds us of three important truths:

• First, God is the one who saves. Jesus said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them” (John 6:44).
• Second, because God is at work around us, we should pay attention. Paul urges us to be “watchful” (Col. 4:2). Resist slipping into autopilot.
• Third, remember what God has done. If He has opened doors before, He can certainly do so again.

Throughout Scripture, we see God preparing people before anyone shares the gospel with them.

• He awakened the Ethiopian eunuch’s curiosity before Philip arrived (Acts 8:26–39).
• He prepared Cornelius before Peter knocked on Cornelius’s door (Acts 10).
• He opened Lydia’s heart to respond to Paul’s message (Acts 16:14).

Long before Philip, Peter, or Paul opened their mouths, God was already at work.

That should encourage us. It implies that every conversation we walk into has its spiritual genesis before we even arrive on the scene, and it assures us that God is more than capable of working through us when we do. The question is simply whether we’ll recognize the opportunities He places in front of us and be faithful to sow the seed.

Might God open a door for you today, whether through an ordinary conversation, an unexpected question, or someone who simply needs a listening ear?

Prayer: “God, help me notice what you are already doing. Help me be watchful, looking for an open door to tell others about you. Help me be faithful to share and scatter the seed of the good news of Jesus. Amen.”