Don't Let Spiritual Opportunities Pass You By

"Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers" - 2 Timothy 4:2-3

You never know who is listening to you. Nor the impact that you might have on someone. God has blessed Martie and me to be a blessing to perhaps thousands of people since we left the Army. recently, we have been going through boxes of pictures in an effort to organize them. In one of the boxes I came across a single letter written by a friend from California in May 2008. He was a volunteer in Mississippi during Katrina. At the time Martie and I were working 16 hours days - seven days a week and had littles time away from our duties unless it was to sleep.  To my regret and shame I did not answer that letter. That friend passed away a few years ago so I will not have the opportunity, this side of heaven, to see him and talk to him about what he wrote. 

There are two points here. First - cherish the people that God brings your way. Second - don't let relationships go fallow - live a life of no regrets because of valued relationships that faded with time.

"Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one." - Colossians 4:5-6

I am going to share the letter my friend sent to me some years ago with you. I thought it might by instructive for you to read it as a life lesson that you never know - and personally don't need to know - who you impact as you walk in the Way. You may not agree with everything he wrote, but it was supposed to be a dialog. One that never happened. That is on me! I will add comments in [brackets].

Hi Charley

How’s your coffee? Fine? Good. [ I am known for drinking copious amounts of coffee and rose early to make coffee for the volunteers]

Subject: Earl [Earl was volunteer from Vicksburg, MS]. When Earl talked I was hanging on every word & still couldn’t get them all. After he left I told Jim [another volunteer and a mutual friend] “He has an accent you can cut w/ a knife.” You got me. You said I was the outsider in Miss. He didn’t have an accent. You were right. I could understand the people in town but I had difficulty w/ him. Why?? That got me thinking. We put the accent w/ the talker when it should be w/ the listener. You said the further out you go, the heavier it gets- Why? Your coffee still hot?

Got another one: I figured out something that I don’t think is debatable yet I haven’t heard anyone approach it from that angle. 95% of who a person really is – is on the inside. 5% (or less) is on the outside. We go all day passing judgement (directly or indirectly) on people based on that 5%. The outside that we see may or may not be that person at all. The inside is made up of culture, upbringing, geography, DNA and some other stuff I am not thinking of right now. (also good or bad experiences in life) I think prejudice is almost officially gone. It now exists on an individual basis. We are what we’re taught & that’s difficult to change. As long as people have insecurities (which is forever) they will try to build themselves up by putting someone else down. People have a tendency to go along with the crowd.

Anyway these are things I thought about. The 1st subject off and on since last Dec. The second subject for much longer than that. I’ve got some strong feeling about politics but I won’t lay that on you. Wish I could get your input.

No fair counting the misspellings.

The life lesson? I think my friend had gained a new perspective on how to receive people. Making value judgements based about what people look like or how they talk is dangerous - it can lead you to false conclusions. I think this was a spiritual revelation for my friend. So many volunteers that I have met over the years on the "field of battle" have told me that their lives had been changed because of their experience.  Maybe you are one of them. 

Oh how I wish that I could sit down with my friend - over a cup of coffee - and talk about his letter and the Lord. This was a life lesson for me. We must be alert for opportunities that God gives us as we walk through this life. Maybe there is a conversation, phone call, letter, email, or text that you need to respond to.

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone