Three Things My Autistic Daughter Has Taught Me About Evangelism

I watched with amazement as my nine-year-old daughter mingled with the eclectic group of visitors at our church’s community outreach event. Although her neurodivergent communication skills can often present challenges in social situations, this certainly wasn’t the case here. Excitedly running up and talking to people and their pets with an exuberant, uninhibited enthusiasm, she expertly broke down social barriers, made people feel welcome, and demonstrated God’s love to a hurting community—simply by being herself.

As a self-identified introvert, evangelism doesn’t come naturally to me. Initiating conversations and making introductions can feel overwhelming, and I often overthink when and how to introduce people to Jesus. Still, just because it’s difficult doesn’t mean I get a free pass. As Christians, we have each been commissioned to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19 NIV). There are no exceptions here for people who feel shy or awkward—believe me, I’ve checked. 

However, as I watched my daughter in action that day—and on several occasions since—I realized that connecting with people in the name of Jesus doesn’t have to be overly complicated, stressful, or anxiety-inducing. Rather, when we embrace our strengths, lean into our weaknesses, and remember who goes with us, evangelism can be as natural as breathing.

Embrace Your Strengths 

Over the years, I have noticed my daughter has an innate ability to draw people toward her. Naturally creative, she will typically orchestrate elaborate, imaginative games that other children—even those she’s never met before—can’t help but get absorbed in. What’s more, her propensity to accept others at face value is an attractive antidote to the clique-driven social hierarchy that so many children experience. In the context of an outreach event, it is pure gold.

These strengths of hers are no happy accident, nor can I take full credit. Each of us is “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Ps. 139:14) with distinct strengths and characteristics that lend themselves in different ways to the work of evangelism. Perhaps, like me, you tend to express yourself more eloquently in written form and find snail mail to be an effective method to meaningfully connect and share God’s heart with others. Maybe you excel at hospitality and can share the love of Jesus over a meal or handmade treat. You may have a gift for teaching and excel at unpacking God’s Word with new believers in creative ways. And if you have a passion for prayer, there is always a need to pray for new believers (and seasoned ones) in various stages of their spiritual journey.

Whether you feel at home evangelizing in a public forum or prefer quietly coming alongside others to support them in their relationship with Christ, there is room for all of us. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12, “Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! The variety is wonderful” (MSG).

By fully embracing who we have been created to be—recognizing our unique skills, personalities, passions, and gifts—we can each express a distinct facet of God’s love to those around us! What strengths might God be asking you to utilize for his Kingdom cause?

Lean into Your Weaknesses

Recently, we were at a local restaurant when my daughter started peppering the server with a host of personal questions. Naturally, I felt uncomfortable with this exchange and believed she was overstepping social boundaries. However, when I attempted to interrupt, deflect, and close the conversation, the server repeatedly rebuffed me. In fact, instead of being annoyed by my daughter’s persistent and invasive line of questioning, she seemed delighted by it. “You’ve made my day,” she exclaimed. “Hardly anyone cares to ask me questions in this job.” Through my child’s “inappropriate” behavior—a weakness in the eyes of the world—this woman had glimpsed the relational heart of God.

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “But [the Lord] said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” As fallible human beings, we don’t typically like to draw attention to areas where we feel lacking in confidence or competence. But what if we didn’t shy away from our so-called weaknesses, but rather viewed them as opportunities to harness the power of God working in and through us? Imagine what fruit could come from the seeds of full surrender, recognizing it is only through God’s power at work within us that we can achieve anything at all!

In spite of our inadequacies, we have been created “to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph. 2:10 NIV). My daughter’s social communication difficulties can set her apart in the eyes of the world in all the wrong ways. Yet, time and time again, I have watched God flip the switch, giving her unique opportunities to reach others for the Kingdom and draw people to him in ways that others simply cannot do.

By leaning into our weaknesses, we give God the reins to our lives, creating opportunities to connect with others in unexpected ways. What weakness of yours has the potential to become a tool in the hands of your Creator when fully bent to his will?

Remember Who Is with You

While my daughter chatted and connected with newcomers at our church event, I kept a close watch, always only a few steps behind. Despite her bravado, and her insistence that she most definitely did not need any supervision from her mom, I knew differently. After all, she was still a child—my child. And she needed a parent to walk beside her—safeguarding, guiding, encouraging, and disciplining—until she was ready to be out on her own.

After Jesus had commissioned his disciples in Matthew 28:19, he left them with this encouragement, “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (v. 20b). How reassuring it is that when it comes to the work of evangelism, Jesus doesn’t leave us to it. In John 14:16–17, he tells his disciples, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever . . . he dwells with you and will be in you.” As we walk into uncomfortable situations, we know we don’t go alone. We have been gifted with the presence of the Holy Spirit—the Advocate (John 14:26)—whom we can trust to lead us on the path God has called us to walk with wisdom, discernment, boldness, and power. With such a companion as our guide, we have no reason to fear. For what can man do to us if the Lord is on our side (Ps. 118:6)?

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Jesus often held up children as an example for his believers to follow (Matt. 18:3–4). They have much to teach us—even, or perhaps especially, those who stand out from the crowd. As ambassadors of Christ, we too have been set apart. Our goal is not to fit in but to stand out—our distinctive words and actions testifying to the radical counter-cultural, life-giving love of Jesus. The stakes are high, and our mission to minister to hardened hearts and lost lives may at times seem overwhelming. But God, in his mercy, uses the least of these to show us how it should be done. And I like to believe he has a twinkle in his eye while doing so.

So, if you’re feeling like you’re failing at the work of evangelism, take heart. God has gifted you with unique strengths to reflect his glory and will reveal his power through your weaknesses, should you let him. Above all, his Spirit goes with you—into your homes, your workplaces, your communities, and even those awkward evangelistic encounters—as you set about this critical Kingdom work.