Two stories this week.
1) Sparkles. Perhaps this sounds cheesy, but I saw the sparkles in the eyes of K-1 kids I taught today, and it is one of the best feelings I have experienced as a human being. They come far and between, but when they do, they are special.
2) A story I heard in the sermon today, which was about human suffering. An elderly women in her eighties, a widow living in the retirement home. She visits her friend's home, and as she's departing, she falls down on a long stairway, breaking one of her legs and a couple of other bones. Her friend calls 911 while she's lying in agony and pain, but as she's getting placed on the carrier into the ambulance, she tells her friend, "I've been praying that God would keep my eyes open so I can talk to those people that God wants me to meet at the hospital." Not thinking about her injury and agonizing pain, but already thinking ahead to how she can share the good news with what is to come. The congregation makes a "hmm" noise in admiration of this godly woman whose instinct is not to ask God why but ask God to help her do God's work as a result of what happened. Very inspiring and something to chew upon for myself. But then our guest speaker continues the story. As he is sharing this story several years later in a college fellowship, one of the students gets really, really excited, keeps raising her hand and finally shouts at the end, "That, that, that's my mother. My mother was in the same room with Mrs. Barnhouse in that hospital when Mrs. Barnhouse came in with her injury." And her mother got saved afterward.
I think a lot of people in the congregation teared up at that point. It's an amazing story. Especially the second part.
But then I kept thinking--is it a coincidence that those stories seem to happen to such strong men/women of faith? Do we ever wonder why they don't happen to, you know, us? And then I thought...maybe it is because we don't believe that those miracles could happen to us. Or that God could make those miracles happen through us. Even if we were to grow in Him and have that attitude when an injury or misfortune falls upon us, do we truly believe God could use us to spread His words?
I know...we need to be equipped with armors, weapons and shields. But perhaps we need to believe in God's power, and His power in us.
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ReplyDeleteI think sometimes God uses us in spite of how we little we might trust or want Him to. Looking back at college, I'm able to identify how even during moments when I wasn't intending to or was reluctant to reach out to a non-Christian, He was able to somehow use those interactions to bring that person to Him. Even now, I sometimes doubt that these things are possible, but when I do stop to think about it, I realize that I have had the opportunity to witness a number of these "miracles" happen - in spite of what I thought I did or didn't do.
ReplyDeleteMmm. Somewhat different, but in Philippians 1:15-18, Paul refers to how others "preach Christ" out of wrong intentions (specifically, out of rivalry and to afflict Paul even while he is in jail!). Regardless, Paul rejoices because, though it may seem weird, for whatever reason these people are preaching the gospel, at least they are still preaching the Gospel. And so God is still using them.
I think that just as it was mentioned in the sermon yesterday, "What was intended for evil, God intended for good." Thank goodness that He remains sovereign over all and is able to use all things (and people) for His good!
There. Sorry for the novel!