But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. 1 Peter 3:15 NIV
One of the ways we divert God’s purpose for us to make it possible for people to connect the dots of our lives in a way that leads them to Him is by looking for or waiting for something massive. He gives us a quiver for an arrow to shoot regularly, and we want to shoot a cannon. He rarely works that way.
There’s something quietly powerful and deeply illuminating about a person who wakes up and simply tries to become a more loving, truthful, patient, courageous, and faithful representative of the Father over time. That kind of perspective and choice changes homes, friendships, workplaces, and communities in ways that are often invisible at first. They are like many multiplied drops of water on a hard stone that shape it into something new.
Do you WANT to direct people to God through your life? You don’t need a dramatic platform for your life to point toward God and His love. Very often it happens through the simplest (but often the most personally difficult) ways:
• How you respond when interrupted
• How you treat people who can’t pay you back or ever benefit you
• Whether weak or mighty, others feel safer and accepted after talking with you
• Whether you bring calm and peace into tense spaces
• Whether you can forgive without pointing it out or becoming cold and distant
These are the ordinary moments of life and relationships that are the truest kind of language people can understand. They are the moments when Jesus followers, children of the Kingdom, are called to be so different than the people around us. These are often the first dots people begin to connect. “What makes him respond like that? How does she remain calm and not react badly?”
And when we fail (because we all do sometimes), even that can become a connecting dot if we choose honesty, humility, and renewed dependence on God’s grace instead of excusing or blaming. Sometimes a humble apology is a major dot that points to God’s grace and mercy.
- Father, help me make choices today that lead people to seek and find where the deeply loving and gracious life I live originates. Amen.