My top 7 discipleship habits

Sharing Jesus with those who don’t yet know Him is an essential part of my everyday practice as His disciple. Being a Christian convert from a Hindu background, this could be through my mission work (I’ve been a mission partner for many years) or through everyday encounters with people, which are often preceded by prayer for opportunities to witness and to serve.

Now, I’m not a good runner, and I have multiple injuries, so this isn’t about chasing athletic goals. For me, it’s about the effect running has on my state of mind. I run long distances outdoors, and this discipline helps to clear my mind – it creates ​‘brain space’ – enhancing my ability to come before my God in prayer, especially prayers of intercession.

We often use the same scriptures a lot, drawing a well-known message from a particular verse or passage – so I find a scripture that I’m not used to. I ponder on it and pull from it fresh insight and revelation. Take Psalm 19 for instance; I move beyond the first verse and into the second (“day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge”), and as I run I wonder about God’s creative power and how He pours forth wisdom from the skies.

Before the coronavirus lockdown, I left the US to work and study in the UK. My husband is still in the States, so we haven’t lived in the same country for a few years. But we have a daily call where we do Bible study, pray and eat one meal. There’s something to be said about bringing together spiritual and physical sustenance.

I’ve been living with atheists and an agnostic for five years as part of a programme of exchange (I provide palliative care in return for somewhere to stay). My space is small, so the less physical and mental clutter I have, the better. I limit my possessions, which frees up my mind, as I don’t think about what I don’t have. Living with less also makes me rely on God more and minister to others through gifts, as I’ll always have more than I need – not to mention the environmental aspect.

My first point was that I share Jesus. Often, in everyday contexts, this seldom involves me telling people that I’m a Christian. If my faith in Christ doesn’t show by now, there’s something lacking in my walk. My goal to live and breathe Jesus recently resulted in an atheist asking me to mentor her. What an incredible opportunity to share Jesus, and a test to be able to live Jesus without the clichés.

How I apply my faith is in a blurry space – a space that is not binary or black and white. By that I mean, the way I display Christ to those who aren’t His follower depends on circumstance and context. I have no set way of witnessing to Jesus; I can’t, because my goal has to be to ensure whoever comes across my path can make a link to the creator of the universe.