There’s a moment in John 4 that often gets overlooked. After Jesus has a conversation with a woman at a well—someone with a complicated past and plenty of reasons to stay in the shadows—something extraordinary happens. She runs into her town, tells people what Jesus did for her, and by the end of the chapter, a crowd believes. Not because of a polished sermon, but because of her story.
That’s the power of real faith. When it becomes personal, it becomes powerful.
Many religious people live off someone else’s faith. A parent’s belief. A childhood church experience. A season when things felt more spiritual. But that borrowed faith eventually runs dry. If your faith hasn’t grown in years, maybe it’s because it was never truly yours to begin with.
Jesus didn’t wait for that woman to get her life together or ask the right questions. He went out of His way to meet her where she was. And He does the same for you. You don’t have to clean yourself up first. Your story—messy parts and all—is not too much for Him. In fact, He already knows it.
But once you’ve encountered Him, it’s not meant to stay private. The woman at the well didn’t go through a training course or wait until she felt ready. She simply shared what Jesus had done in her life. And people listened—not because she had all the answers, but because she had been changed.
That’s what authentic faith does. It shows. It speaks. It risks being seen.
Too many of us are distracted—by appearance, approval, or comfort—and we miss the greater purpose right in front of us. But Jesus never got distracted from helping people reconnect with God. And He calls us to that same focus.
Your story might be exactly what someone else needs to hear. People can debate theology, but they can’t deny transformation. When faith moves from theory to testimony, it becomes a light others can’t ignore.
So the question is this: Is your faith real enough to be visible?
You don’t have to have all the answers. You just have to have a story worth sharing. And if Jesus has changed your life, you do.
Don’t keep it in the dark. Step into the light—and bring someone with you.
Travis Agnew serves as the Lead Pastor of Rocky Creek Church in Greenville, SC. His most recent book is Just (About) Married.
