There is a very popular saying showing up in my newsfeed on Facebook quite frequently, and it goes like this:  “Be kind for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.”  Its a very true statement, but beware: it’s also one of those “warm fuzzies” that can cause us to miss ministry opportunities if we stop there.

Friday morning I was working the drive thru window but was on a restroom break, which meant I had to walk through the front counter area.  On my way back to the drive thru window, I spotted a regular customer and stopped to greet him.  He was smiling slightly but his eyes told a very different story.  I started to keep walking but couldn’t.  I stopped again and told him it looked like he had a lot on his mind,( i.e. one of those “battles”) and he teared up and just nodded. Now…he is a regular, but I really didn’t know hime that well..just that he is quiet, friendly, and usually smiling. But when a grown man tears up that fast, I tend to take notice.

So I asked him if he believed in prayer and if I could pray for him. More tears, real tears, and he nodded again. I waited to see if he wanted to volunteer any more information and he choked out, “please just pray”.  I assured him I would and would begin right then..and then I had to ask him his first name!  I had waited on him before, but not enough to remember his name.  So he told me, got his food, and left.

Now there’s no miraculous ending here. I finished out my day, praying for him when I could, and I have prayed for him frequently since then.  I have no idea if or when I will see him next, or whether his situation got better.  But I do know that for that brief few minutes, I stepped past the “be kind” barrier, and allowed God to take me straight into ministering in His name for someone who needed Him.  And I am SO grateful!!

So what’s the point?  Being kind is indeed admirable and most of the that is sufficient and welcome to the “everyone’s” that we meet.  AND YET!!  As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, who are saved by His blood, and wanting to do HIS work, we need to ALWAYS be ready to go further, and impact lives with HIM!!  To God be the glory!!

As I have shared before parking lot sweep is one of the jobs at work that has to be done, and I usually enjoy it. I like getting out and walking around in the fresh air, and it gives me time for praise,worship and prayer.  It is also NEVER boring to see what people throw out of their cars…the variety is astounding.

However, some days I find myself trying to understand the thought process behind what is tossed… if there is one. I wonder if they know, for instance, that cigarette butts do not magically disappear, or that beer/coke bottles do not roll themselves over to the trashcans.  And the bags of half eaten and leftover food left by the curb do not serve as advertising!  I also find receipts, bills, grocery lists, phone #’s on scrap paper, ATM receipts, pacifiers, and especially chewed up gum..All  of these are unsightly, distracting, inconvenient, frustrating to deal with, and possibly even dangerous to cars and people.

And yet!  Just when I reached my peak of aggravation the other day, God jolted me with this thought: there are a lot of times that my SPIRITUAL “parking space” looks a LOT like some of those at work!  Careless thoughts and words(cigarette butts) and bad attitudes (trash) can be found.  God’s Word that I read that morning, and yet didn’t fully digest, so I couldn’t share (leftovers/half eaten food).  And on and on we could go.  All of these habits or sins that I carelessly toss around, knowing that I’m covered by grace, but acting as if they don’t affect anyone else.

Just as I wonder what it takes to not care that I have to clean up their junk – and that they should KNOW better than to leave it – I wonder if people viewing my “parking space” might think the same thing?  I can’t believe they don’t have more decency than to take their trash to the garbage cans and dispose of it.  But what if they are thinking, “I can’t believe they said that?” or “Shouldn’t a Christian KNOW better?” or “do they expect me to believe they love Jesus if _____”

It’s a startling thougtht!  And while all the “trash tossing”, both physical and spiritual, is not deliberate and a sign of uncaring, some of it is.  And just like I want those customers to watch what they do, I believe there are times those watching my life want the same.  So next time I pick up trash, I will ask the Lord to show me a piece of “trash” in my life, and do my best to pick it up!

Chretien (French).  Kristian (Malay).  Hiristiyan (Turkish).  Christian  (English).  I had a huge blessing this morning, as I was scrolling through Facebook.  I saw a shared link in my newsfeed for a video of “Amazing Grace”.  Normally I don’t look at links, but I decided to listen to this one, and I am SO glad I did!  Of course, “Amazing Grace” is one of THOSE songs…songs that cause people to feel sentimental and emotional, regardless of when it is played, and regardless of whether people are truly celebrating the God it speaks about or understand the meaning behind the words.  But this clip was VERY different..it was in Romania, it was instrumental only, and the response of the people listening seemed to be one of pure worship for most of them.

So why am I sharing about this?  For this reason- God overwhelmed my heart with encouragement as I listened and I want to share it with you.  Because we live in America, we tend, as Christians, to think the fate of the entire future of the world depends on the rise and fall of Christianity in our nation.  When we sense spiritual awakenings here, we get very excited and hopeful that we may finally experience worldwide revival in our time.  When we go through a time of spiritual darkness and hardship, which describes a lot of what we are seeing in America now, we get discouraged and depressed about the state of the world, and begin to look for Christ’s return any day.  Surely, we say, it can’t get any worse than this without Him coming back.  Now while that is an oversimplification of things, it is still somewhat accurate about our feelings.

AND YET!  God is still at work, all over this world, and while OUR country is busy throwing Him out of everything, and other countries in the news are also, NOT EVERYONE IS!  There are hundreds of thousands of our brothers and sisters in Christ, all over the world, living for Him, working for Him, and doing everything they can to bring their world to Him!  Did you really read that?  There are Christians, ACTIVE Christians, in Kenya, Nigeria, China, Hong Kong, the Ukraine, Canada, Brazil….and the list goes on and on!  Yay God!

So…just because we live in a world filled with Christian mocking, God dishonoring, sin championing people, and because it seems the “bad guys” are sometimes winning A LOT…doesn’t mean that is true.  God reminded me of these verses this morning in Revelation 7:9-10:  “After these things I looked, and behold a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, people, and tongues standing beforethe throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice saying, “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”. 

Next time your world view shrinks, and all you can see is what’s happening in America, stop…and look….and listen….and ask God to let you “hear” and “see” all those who are calling on His name all over the world…and rejoice!

The other day at work, after I greeted a few people by name both at the front counter and in the drive through, a new employee asked me that question “Miss Beth!  How many people do you know??”

I burst out laughing and then said, “a lot!”  And it is true.  We have lived here 16 years, and I have worked with, gone to church with, and ministered to a  LOT of people…plus I am NOT shy!  And I love the friendships and close connections I have..it keeps me busy and my prayer life fresh with all those God has blessed me by putting in my life.

But of course the more I thought about her question, the more God used it to make me think about this whole “knowing” thing. With some of those, I REALLY know them..including their faith  (or lack thereof) and they know mine.  We are brothers and sisters in Christ, and He is the glue that holds us all together as we walk through life.

And yet! God said to me…there are so many more I DON’T know about their spiritual condition. I have been guilty too many times of saying “well they are nice good people who must love Jesus because they are decent, caring and I like them.”  Wow! What an inconsiderate and dangerous view I have sometimes!  In this crazy mixed up world we live in, where TRULY Jesus could come back at ANY moment, I have been very cavalier about where anyone/everyone may be going after this life.  And I had to confess and ask God’s forgiveness for judging books by their cover..their actions and attitudes..and using those as a gauge of whether they know Jesus or not..without bothering to find out for sure.

So, the question to all of is, “how many people DO YOU KNOW??”  Maybe you are like me and have a long list, or maybe you only have 10 or so..but regardless the question is the same!  Do you know where those people are with Jesus?  And if you don’t are you going to change that?  May God help us all in these potential “last days” to lead as many people as He has put in our circles as possible to KNOW Him!!