I’m sure you have noticed it, too, the difficulty in finding a helpful sales person while shopping. They have the knowledge but often don’t take the time or effort to share it. Yes, it has been that type of week and it is only Monday when I’m writing this.
The retail industry isn’t anything like it used to be and I don’t see it returning to its former glory either. I want and need personal interaction. I want to ask questions and have someone with knowledge help me. But, when I think about it, what I really want is a smile and good service.
This made me consider our churches. I pray we are not going the way of retail sales where there is no longer a human touch or caring. Churches vary in their approaches to the welcoming of guests and I have to say when visiting other churches my husband and I have often been greeted well. But, there have been churches where we went in, sat for the service, looked around for someone to speak to and not found a soul who wasn’t talking with a friend and catching up on the week’s news, and so we left without having said a single word to another person. That can be pretty depressing.
In the family of Christ we all need to look out for those who are lost and needy among us because isn’t that the very person Jesus would single out and greet? Of course He would and so should we. When we see someone on the street who seems run down don’t our hearts generally guide us to help them? If not, are we avoiding the needy either from fear or disgust?
I don’t know if you saw the video that appeared recently of a pastor who was interrupted in the middle of his sermon by a man cursing. Shortly after the cursing started the pastor stopped his sermon and asked the man directly not to swear. He further inquired about how he ended up coming to church that day. The answer was that the young fellow sitting next to him had brought him. The pastor invited both men down to the front of the church where all three sat together on the edge of the stage as the pastor dove in with further questions.
The young man relayed that he had attended the first service and stopped for breakfast at a fast food place on the way home. When he pulled in he saw a woman obviously in need and he bought a second sandwich for her but she was gone by the time his purchase was completed. He then saw another soul in need and he went over to the table to sit with him and offered him the extra sandwich.
As they started to eat and talk the older man asked the younger where he had been that morning and the younger man answered, “church.” The down and out man said, “I want to go to church.” And so, full of grace, the younger man took him back and attended the second service with him.
The story, of course, is more than I can share here but in the midst of the discussion, to the surprise of the younger man, the down and out man confessed to the pastor that he was just on his way to kill himself when this young man stopped by with a sandwich in his hand and then brought him to church.
Can we possibly imagine how God coordinated all of these actions just to stop this one man from committing suicide and then speaking to his soul? That is how important each of us are to our Creator. God takes any of us who will give our lives to His use and, using us, He changes others’ lives for His Glory. How amazing is our God!
Each person involved in this story has had their lives changed forever, including the hundreds of people in the church who witnessed the interaction. And then there is me who saw it on the internet, and now you. Can we imagine what might happen every day if we each looked beyond ourselves to see what God is asking us to do? Miracles abound and God lets us be a part of His work.
After viewing this wonderful story I have committed to making myself more aware of others. To smile and acknowledge those around me, to offer a hand when I see it is needed – all for God’s glory and honor.
Each of us that go by the name Christian need to be doing Jesus’ work just as He asked us. This gives glory to God and, of course, makes the world shine more brightly.
ED. NOTE: Amy Patsch writes from Ocean City. Email her at writerGoodGod@gmail.com.
