In my last blog, I related the story of how my Dad lived what he believed, and because of that, the people that were watching him saw the difference. It played a part in at least one man and his family coming to a faith in Jesus.
The other piece to belief through actions is being available. My dad made sure that he was available to those who wanted to talk.
Being available to those who need us the most can often “inconvenience” us or take us outside our comfort zone. It can also be one of the most rewarding experiences of our day.
Many of us, myself included, are guilty of not being intentional about sharing stories of Jesus. At God of Hope, that is one of the seven steps of the Hope Circle. We desire to encourage and equip people to be intentional. But sometimes, the easiest opportunities are not the ones we create, but are the ones that come to us.
The other day, while out visiting customers, I ran into a person who had suffered a tragic loss about a year and a half ago. Even though I have suffered loss, this loss wasn’t one that I could even begin to pretend I knew what it felt like.
It was the middle of the day, and I was grinding out stop after stop in order to be done before picking up my kids from daycare. But in the middle of the hustle of life, that thirty minutes or so was the highlight of my day. We talked and exchanged stories. And hopefully through it all, that person felt the same kind of encouragement I felt because God gave me the opportunity to stop what I was doing and be available.
At the end of the day, those moments are the ones that set one day apart from the rest.
Those opportunities allow us to encourage and potentially change a life.
Life is busy—wildly busy! But being available can change our own lives as much as it can change someone else’s.
Keith Sampson