Last week I was sharing an elevator with a very friendly man. He wanted to chat and joke around and I really didn’t. I was thinking about all I had to do that day and couldn’t be bothered by this man.
For some reason this situation stuck with me and I have been thinking about it since. What if I missed an opportunity to speak an encouraging word or maybe share an act of kindness? This may seem silly, but in Corinthians Paul says that we are a letter from Christ, written not from ink but with the Spirit of the living God (2 Corinthians 3:3). This scripture says to me that our lives should point to Christ in all areas, even in silly situations in an elevator.
As I think about how I could “be a better Christian,” I thought about all the things I could do to achieve this — I could not be so impatient, I could be more giving, I could go out of my way to help more people. But I was missing the whole point. The world does not need the love that I can give; it needs only the love that Christ can give. Light bulb!
This is all about fruit. I need all of the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians, and the only way to get them is by being rooted in good ground. This comes by spending time with Christ and letting Him water the ground to grow the fruit. Why is the right answer always the toughest?! Doing daily devotions is something I need to work on; it is something that is necessary to be able to write my letter to the world. I want my letter to reflect not me, but to clearly reflect Christ in me. So next time friendly elevator person, I will be ready!
Michelle Heriford
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Ah, Michelle, I can't count the number of times I have kicked myself for 'lost opportunities' like your elevator ride. I can think of one time when God gave me a second chance with one of them. I jumped at that one!
ReplyDeleteYes. I'm with you in the desire to reflect Christ to the world around me. But I can't do it on my own. Jesus, I need YOU!!!
~Karen