I don't know if it was a reaction based upon his movements.
There was something sad about him. Maybe something written in the corner of his eyes. I don't know, but I could tell that that something weighed upon his heart.
I had just finished a 12 hour work stint. I drive an hour home. I was ready to see my baby boy!
But a very real part of me wanted to innocently reach out to this young man...I smiled and waved but a part of me wanted to ask him if anything was wrong? I wanted to give him Hope. The hope that I have found in Jesus. I wanted to reach out and hug this stranger. To put my hand on his shoulder and say, "hey, someone cares. This too shall pass....you see I met a Man." And I wanted to listen to this young man's story. To listen to what he had to say..
sometimes,, as Christians we need to simply listen.
But, as habit would have it, I simply drove off....he drove off.....
I said a prayer for him on my way home. I hope it was enough.
As I pulled onto our road, I saw another young man walking. A young boy around thirteen or fourteen....
I immediately had the same instinct. To reach out. To reach into the life of someone and give them hope.
As I pulled into my driveway, I began to wonder, " Why do we not reach out more?"
Is it because we don't have the time?
One thing I've noticed about society in general...We live in our own little boxes..often not noticing others around us. We've been trained to look the other way, in a sense. How many times have you been at a gas station and had a total stranger come up to you and say, "Hey, you look a little down...is something wrong?"
Can I help you? You see, I have this Hope. I know this Man."
It's not something that we generally do. Why? Is our time more valuable?
I began to think about how these young men were the sons of mothers....I thought about how I would so desperately want a stranger, a Christian, to reach out to my son if he were ever needing a ear to listen....or a hand to help.
I've always been fairly shy. A bit insecure. But lately Jesus has had me reaching out in greater ways. I asked Him to plant seeds of love so deep within me that my concern isn't over my insecurites, but my concern is for those around me.
It is that very concern, that has driven me to reach out in ways that I never thought possible.
The love that He has given me, isn't a weak human love. It is rooted in the divine. It comes from a supernatural source. It comes from Jesus. He is the embodiment of love.
So I am praying that I will be a little bolder next time. Even if I don't have the time, I could reach out in a greater way. If we, as Christians, began to reach out in greater ways, imagine how many lives will be changed...
The light only grows when we share it. We aren't called to hide our lights "under a bushel or a bowl" but to let it shine so the world can see.... We let it shine..by doing...by reaching out and doing...
Let's stretch ourselves as Christians....so that we can grow. So the Light of His love can grow....so that the changes that we desire for the world to change...can begin to manifest. Let's Streeettchhhhh
No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.
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