We were about to leave for an errand the other day so I told one of our daughters to get her shoes on. I heard this over-the-top grunting and breathing happening to give the world around her an understanding of how burdensome and difficult this task was for her. She finished and said, "That was REALLY hard, dad."
This is something she has done countless times on her own but that day it seemed to take on the difficulty level of a double black diamond ski slope.
That which was a regular part of her life seemed daunting and frustrating.
Over the past few months, we have been thankful to have more community members reaching out to ask about or receive help from our counseling ministry.
Ms. Cathy has remained consistently busy as the leader of our ladies' counseling but we had not seen consistent inquiries from the community until recently.
One thing I have been reminded of afresh is how many hurting people are all around us each day. The lady who cheerfully rings up your coffee at Speedway is hurting. The waiter at El Toro who does not seem to care about your empty glass is hurting. The coworker at Kroger jockeying for a promotion or raise at your expense is hurting. The Home Depot worker who directed you to the wrong aisle is hurting.
My point is that the people all around us, whom we do not know personally but whom we interact with each day are facing the same struggle we are a people in a sin-cursed world.
But is their struggle the same???
As a young adult, I placed my faith in Christ one evening and immediately knew what it was to be forgiven. Not only was I forgiven, but I also experienced freedom from sin for the first time! If that were not enough, I enjoyed having the presence of the Holy Spirit enter my life as an indwelling, enduring Friend and Guide.
That is all to say, my daily life (charmed and blessed as it is) can still seem daunting, overwhelming, and hurt-filled. I struggle with temptations. I am surrounded by others who struggle with temptations. I interact with those who give in to temptations. I give in to temptations.
In those moments (and others), I still have the Word to frame my worldview and make sense of most of my life.
I still have the Spirit to convict, encourage, and exhort me.
I still have the brothers and sisters in Christ to practice the "one another's" with and enjoy the same being practiced towards myself.
Many of those living around us do NOT have what we enjoy as followers of Jesus. While our lives may not be "easy", they are enabled and blessed.
Friends, those around us who are apart from Christ are going through what we do but without the richness we enjoy.
My encouragement is this:
Begin your day remembering that the people around you are attempting to cope with life without hope.
As difficult as it is in the moment, view adverse interactions with the above starting point.
Ask what the Spirit seeks to accomplish through your interaction with this person?
Seize the small moments that come across your path and the nudging of the Holy Spirit.
Make yourself available when you connect with someone in such moments.
It does not mean that thousands of people will call on Christ with you as a fervent evangelist.
It does mean you will get to enjoy the everyday reality of being a, "go, engage, disciple" that Jesus intends you and me to be.
Obedience is what is essential; fruitfulness is what the Spirit will accomplish over time.
Go forward this week, in the blessings of Christ, seizing the one-on-one moments with those around you who are struggling apart from Christ and without His richness in their lives.
Pastor Paul