Years ago, a coworker gave me a book of devotions for
Christmas. Unfortunately, I put it on the bookshelf and promptly forgot about
it before I ever read a page. That was at least three Christmases ago. Today I saw it on my bookshelf and decided to open it up and
read the devotion for the day:
God truly makes me smile with his timing. I don't know if it's because I'm in a new city and the name of
the game for me is meeting new people, but I had just been thinking about how people come into your lives at the exact right moment.
The other day I had a long conversation with somebody that I
had very recently met. Right after that conversation, somebody else (who I know even less) made a comment to me that was similar to the first. Between those two instances, a question I
had in my mind was answered, and I have no idea if I will see either of these
people again.
This reminded me of an image I saw on Facebook.
It's a
wonderful view that everyone who comes into your life, even a negative person, can
fulfill a purpose. And it doesn't matter how quickly they pass from your life;
they serve a function in your life.
When I read this devotion, it turned this idea around in my
mind. While people I meet are serving a purpose for me, clearly I am also serving a
purpose for them. My attitude, my thoughts, my past trials all may be of help to this person who God placed in my life.
This devotion took it to a deeper level. It says "Beloved, I have given you the honor of touching the lives of those around you, pointing them to my Son." I love that word, honor. God puts people in our lives for a reason. We are here to bring each
other closer to Christ. I know, that can seem like such a huge task. But if we realize that even our small interactions with someone can be
all that God needs - or is even asking - from us, it can seem less daunting.
If you've read my blog recently, then you realize I have a recent obsession with Stephen Colbert. I read another article and watched another interview with him and this quote jumped out at me: “I think you have to make
a choice to perceive Christ in the people around you, and to love them without
fear that anything will be taken from you in the gift that you give them of
your own love.”
I challenge you - and myself - to see the joy in the fact that
God has ordained a meeting between you and another. Make the choice to
act out of a place of love for that person, and trust that God is using that meeting for good in both lives.
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| Who can make this happen? (I don't mean the horrible photoshop job, I've got that down.) |
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