Opportunity

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

I think God gives us constant opportunities. Opportunities to serve Him.

I guess what’s on my mind today, though, is how to make sure I take advantage of those opportunities. What if I miss them?  How can I serve my God if I’m not paying attention to what comes up around me?

I mean, these chances aren’t going to be outlined in neon lights. They don’t flash a sign that says “Here, Aleisha!! Use me! Do this!”  And honestly, even they did hold up a sign, I might miss that!  I can be less-than-observant sometimes. :)

My heart aches thinking that I might be missing chances...that I’m not serving the least of His people just because I’m not engaging in the world around me.

I know I need to go out and look for opportunities.  I know I need to actively seek out the lost.  But I just don’t always do that...  And when I don’t do that, God doesn’t just stop showing up—of course not!  God comes to us and says, “My child. Here is one of mine. Help them because I’ve blessed you. Love them because I adore them.  Ready?  Go.”

God's always there and always at work. 

But how do I make sure that if I’m not being proactive and I’m also not paying attention, that I’ll still have the wisdom to be a light?

Today I got lunch.

Yes, that’s pretty typical of me.  I do eat.  :)  And I do try to physically leave work for lunch each day so as to give myself a break from the work day and to let my mind relax a little bit.  That’s important. 

But I got my lunch to-go today and proceeded to take it home to eat.  On my way back out to my car, I was stopped in the middle of the parking lot by a man in a truck.  He was nice enough and rolled down the window to ask me a question.  And then he asked for money.  He seemed like he had experience in this sort of thing before….showed me his driver’s license.  Explained his situation.  His truck was clean, he was clean. I mean, there were no obvious signs that helping him wasn’t a smart idea….

But at the same time, I was by myself, had limited cash, and was still wary in general... so I apologized and declined to give any help.

I’m confident that I made smart decision.

But did I make a godly decision?

Now, I don’t want to get into the details of personal safety and being a young lady and being cautious, etc etc. That’s not what this post is about.  I’m fully aware of the dangers, which is why I’m so certain in my decision to first and foremost keep myself safe.

However, I do regret not looking at the situation from a different angle…from the angle of helping another. From the angle of an opportunity.  From the angle of giving from my heart and maybe not from my pocketbook.  I do regret that.

Do you think that man was a neon sign flashing at me as brightly as possible, and I missed it??  I missed a chance?

I don’t know the answer to that question, but I don’t want to dwell on the specific situation either.  Rather, this event provoked me with the initial thought on which to begin this blog and on which to begin to alter my daily way of thinking and, consequentially, my life.

I don’t want to miss opportunities.  I want to be proactive in blessing others.  Lord, help me with both of these things.

Also, to the very few who read this blog, I ask a favor of you—I ask you pray for my upcoming trip to another country.  This trip came about in a rather non-conventional way (what in my life do I actually do conventionally anyway??  Normal is boring.) and I’ll be missing out on several things back here in the States because of my trip…football, my brother’s birthday, work events, social events…all of these things are important to me and all of these things are happening in my favorite time of year—fall!!!  However, no matter what I’m missing and how I might be sad about missing them, every time I think about those things I feel an overwhelming sense of peace come over me.  There IS a reason for my trip.  And the exciting part is that I have no idea what that reason may be!!

Out of my own selfish desires, this trip is a vacation. 

But the peace that I feel rush over me comes with a whisper that tells me that I’m needed over there.  For something.  For some reason, even if it’s just one single reason and a small one at that.  Even if one smile from me in another country can light up a life, then the trip is worth it.  My “vacation” would be a success.  I am loving the knowledge that even if I do have reasons for the trip beyond a [much-needed] escape, God will use me in ways that I could never dream up, imagine, nor could I ever plan for.

And so—that’s exactly what I am preparing for: the unknown and being a part of a plan that I have had nothing to do with!

It’s an opportunity.

It’s a chance that’s taking me away from beloved things; it’s a chance that I’m being proactive about.  A chance that I’m not missing!

So, please pray.

And Lord, you might have to shout at me every once and a while throughout my life to get me to see You and Yours…you might have to throw up blatantly obvious signs… but thanks in advance for doing so, for grabbing my attention, and for revealing Yourself.