Sunday, July 11, 2010

Taking the Time to Reach out in Love

And to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.  For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  –II Peter 1:7, 8 

On days when we don’t have something planned in advance for supper I have had to make a trip to the store and get a meal that can be quickly prepared for my family.  Often when my sons find out that I am going instead of their mother, they groan and roll their eyes: “Dad will be there all night,” they say.  “He’ll run into 20 people he knows and spend two and a half hours talking.” That’s an exaggeration, but perhaps not too far off the mark.  The truth is, I don’t always know how to take their sentiments about me and my grocery store shopping delays; are they complaints or compliments?  I’ll take them as compliments.

When I go to the store, especially the large one nearby which I won’t name because I don’t want to give them any free advertising, it’s inevitable that I will run into someone I know.  On a brisk day I might meet several, many of whom attend the church where I am pastor.  I would never think of walking by without saying hello, and usually we stop and talk for a few moments.  Even when I’m in a hurry I do not mind to stop and visit.  I view this as a wonderful blessing to be connected with so many people in the community. 

Does this ever happen to you?  Do you go to the store to pick up some groceries and you run into folks you know?  Are they sometimes people you’d rather not have to talk to?  Perhaps you are tempted to “dodge” them.  You know, duck down another isle before they see you.  Here’s some advice; forget about it.  The Lord is probably going to place this person right in your path to teach you some lessons about love, grace, compassion, and humility.  In other words, you might as well walk right up and say hi; you won’t make it out of the store without seeing the person again. 

The love of Jesus Christ, functioning in us, compels us not to avoid one another, but rather to exhort, encourage, and reach out to each other in a spirit of Christian love.  Consider that the person we are thinking of avoiding might be the one who could greatly benefit from a kind and encouraging word.  Who knows when you or I will be the one God has called to minister that day to some particular person?  When we are going about our day seeking to let the light of Jesus Christ shine from us then we will not mind taking some time from a busy schedule to say hello to someone – especially someone the Lord has deliberately placed in our path for a divine reason.    

As we walk through each day, let us be open to the leadership and guidance of the Holy Spirit.  Troubled souls are everywhere.  Stop and reach out in Jesus name.  Such kindness will make it’s way back to us and will have multiplied ten-fold.

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