When God Wants to Splash Your Day

(I wrote this post much earlier this year, and it's been sitting in my drafts waiting, and as I look forward to the new year, I'm praying hard that God would take me back to my first love that I had when I was 14 and newly learning about Him after my trip to PNG that changed my life.  Maybe this will help you pause a moment in this mad crazy race towards Christmas as you dash through busy shopping centres, to stop for the one He has placed in front of you.)

I learnt a lesson yesterday. I was wandering through a shopping centre, different to the one I normally trot along to for my grocery shopping.  For months I’ve been asking God to talk to me, help me hear from him better, to highlight people to me that need Him, that are ready and open for an encouraging word from Him. 

Yesterday He did.  She was this little old lady sitting on a bench waiting for someone, and I felt a little nudge to go talk to her. ‘Nah,’ I thought, ‘that can’t be God, I don’t know what to say or do or anything.’  But I’m actually pretty sure it was.  As I was walking to Lifeline, I kept feeling like I should go back and talk to her, and I knew in my spirit the moment she walked away, and sure enough when I looked, she was then gone.

I’ve repented, yes, and do you know what that means?  Next time I need to do something about it.  Now that I know what that nudge looks like, feels like.   Because repenting means to turn away from and not do it again.   Not miss that opportunity again, to have something crazy and interesting to turn an ordinary day into a moment.

I mean, she was an old lady with a walking stick, what could she possibly have done to hurt me?  There are people everyday preaching the Gospel at real risk.  I don’t know what I was supposed to talk to her about, and the worst she could have done was refused to speak to me or told me to leave.

I’ve been thinking about this, and some options for next time; because there will be one.  There are always people in need of love. I’ve come up with some ideas to help us both for next time.

You could: sit down next to her and look as though you also were waiting for someone, make small talk and see where it goes until God gives you something to say.

Give her a pre-written card with an encouraging word inside, that you carry in your handbag.

If she was injured; just offer to pray for her. I’ve done this before and seen incredible results.

Any other ideas?

I’ve been reading Bill Hybels’ book, Just Walk Across the Room, and listening to a cd set by another pastor from the same church, challenging us that, our just walking across the room and talking to someone could change a destiny.  It’s full of stories, testimonies and amazing encounters, but unless we actually step out and do it, we will never know what could have happened.

Sometimes I look at life like one of those ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ books that were popular in the late 90s.  You read a page and it gave you a choice of your next step.  Turn to page 128 if you do such and such, or 87 if you decide not to.  It completely changes your direction. 

Could I have redirected her eternity?  I pray that I am so Compelled by Love, that I can’t help but spill it out on everyone nearby and that I am prompted to obey. 

I once thought that only baby Christians needed a revelation of God’s love, and that if we just got more a grip on the Fear of the Lord, we’d be better behaved.  (Have I ever mentioned pride goes before a fall?)  I spent the next 12 months learning just how much we all need a revelation of God’s love, and how when I’d fallen flat on my face, deep in the grip of fear that came blazing like headlights, it was only perfect love that could cast out fear.