The Myth of Doing

Let me confess upfront that I am a “doer.”  Thus, this post is written as much to me and for me as for anyone else.  This is truly the teacher teaching himself.

The evidence of a life lived for Christ is one’s actions, right?  Actions are easy to observe.  Actions yield results.  Actions demonstrate commitment.  But just as attitude is the test for “being,” the defining question for “doing” is – What motivation lies at the heart of your actions?  Are your actions an attempt to earn God’s grace or are your actions an attempt to share His grace?  Is your focus on gaining personal honor and recognition or is your focus on bringing glory to God?  Are your actions compelled by selfish motives or are they compelled by the love of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:14).

As “doers” we must understand that God’s grace and love cannot be earned.  Isaiah the prophet teaches us that before God our righteous acts are like filthy rags, and Paul reminds us that God gives His love freely and willingly, not because of something we do to earn it.  God created us to do good works for sure, but “doing” those things is not a prerequisite for gaining His love.  No matter how selfless our efforts, they do not ingratiate us with God.  His love is boundless and given freely to those who believe.

How then should “doers” live as Salt & Light?  Perhaps the key lies in allowing our “doing” to guided by the Holy Spirit, and this, of course, is totally dependent on us having the appropriate focus on “being!”  The voice of the Holy Spirit is described as a still small voice (1 Kings 19:12, KJV) and hearing it requires that our ear is tuned to do so.  This means spending quiet, intentional time in the presence of God praying, listening, studying His Word – learning to listen for and to hear His voice.  If we are continually caught up in the busyness of “doing,” we risk being unable to hear His guiding voice and thus end up running off pursuing our own agendas in the name of service to His Kingdom.

It is true that our society values service, volunteerism, and social action – and it should!  Giving back to your community is a noble thing; yet, such action still begs the question – what is the motivation?  Living as Salt & Light means that all of your life – your “being” AND your “doing” – is focused on showing and sharing God’s unconditional love.

What motivates you?  Why do you spend time in a church service or Sunday School class each week?  Why do you read His Word and pray?  Why do you give up your time to help build a house for someone or to collect food in a local food drive or to volunteer in a children’s hospital?  Let all of your life be focused on sharing the love and blessings He has showered on you.  In so doing, you live as Salt & Light in your world.

The Myth of Being

The contemplative life, which I would call “being,” is often considered the preferred or desired way to live – especially by some monastic orders and parts of academe.  Variously called the life of the mind or the life of the spirit, “being” is exemplified as the highest calling of mankind.  As I mentioned in the previous post, this is often the interpretation applied to the story of Mary & Martha.  While I understand the importance of “being” in the life of a believer, I would argue that a life focused solely on “being” is a life lived incompletely.

The initial consideration lies in the attitude of the person focused on “being.”  In the journey of a follower of Christ, “being” is an essential element, but only if the believer’s attitude is that of a longing to grow.  Contemplation, meditation, pondering – whatever name we give it – if focused on knowing Jesus more completely or growing into Christlikeness defines “being” as it should be – such is the attitude of a maturing Christian. However, if “being” is characterized by an attitude of complacency, then it becomes a hindrance on the journey of a disciple of Jesus.  I imagine Mary, from the story of Mary & Martha, sitting at the feet of Jesus soaking in every word He spoke.  Her attitude was not one of laziness or complacency, but was one of a longing to know Jesus and to learn from Him.  She was not simply hanging out with Jesus to avoid helping Martha cook!

The other important piece of this puzzle is the consideration of what results from “being.”  An ever deepening relationship with Jesus, which results from spending time with and learning from Him, is the nourishment that sustains the believer’s soul.  Yet, Jesus Himself calls us to do more than simply hear His teaching!  In the story of the wise and foolish builders, He says, “Everyone who hears these words of mine AND puts them into practice is . . . a wise man . . .” (emphasis mine).  Jesus emphasis is twofold – hear & do.  Even Jesus’ last instructions to His disciples called for action – go, make, baptize, teach!

Thus, living life as Salt & Light, if lived to the fullest, means living in and among the world.  Certainly, there is a time for withdrawal, contemplation, and reflection – in fact, this practice of “being” is essential to a healthy spiritual life.  But, if those around us are to be influenced by the Christ in us, we must live life with them.  Salt that remains in the shaker has no opportunity to enhance the flavor of anything.

Being vs. Doing – What were you created for?

The title of this post almost presupposes the “correct” response, especially from a Christian worldview.  Let me assure you, I have no predetermined answer.  Is there a “correct” response?  I live with the question of “being vs. doing?” and ponder it often.  This quote from Max DePree encourages me in this,

We do not grow by knowing all of the answers, but rather by living with the questions. -Max DePree in Leadership is an Art.

I first became aware of the question of being vs. doing in a devotional lesson.  I don’t remember the setting, but I vaguely remember that the text was Luke 10:38-42, the story of Mary & Martha.  That story has been told and retold with the lesson that Mary, who chose to sit at Jesus’ feet and worship, chose correctly contrasted with Martha who scurried about preparing dinner for everyone, indignant that Mary did not help her. The devotional lesson ended with thought that we were created as human beings and not human doings.  I absolutely get the point, but it left me feeling that something was missing or that some critical point had been oversimplified.

Later, I attended one of the first Catalyst events in Atlanta, GA in 2001.  At that event, Pastor Andy Stanley of Northpoint Community Church made the point that, as a leader, he loves progress, revels in change, and enjoys making things happen.  I distinctly remember him saying that God had “wired” him that way.  In other words, he had been created to do something.   Once again, the question of  being vs. doing surfaced, but the “answer” this time was opposite!

The Apostle Paul was a huge advocate of doing.  Multiple times in his writings, he encouraged the recipients of his letters in doing.  He encouraged the church at Galatia (Galatians 6:9) and at Thessalonica (2 Thessalonians 3:13) to never tire of doing good.  He wrote to  Titus (3:14),

Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives.

While each of these admonitions from Paul is in the context of larger issues, the message is clear – doing (good) is an essential element of our lives as followers of Christ.

The answer does not seem to be either being or doing; instead, the lesson for living life in Christ is both being and doing.  In our driven, performance-oriented society, living as Salt & Light may mean intentionally setting time aside to reflect, pray, and be . . . in the presence of God.  Yet, I can envision a scenario where the one who lives as Salt & Light lives with a focus on serving and doing good.

As with much of our life in Christ, living as Salt & Light often involves living a paradox.  In so doing, we pray for guidance each day, tune our ears to hear His still small voice, and obey His leading.  Perhaps knowing the “correct” answer isn’t the goal.  I love how Leonard Sweet put it in his book The Gospel According to Starbucks,

Paradox is the midwife of truth.  

Hope: A Prairie Dog’s Perspective

“Hope . . . begins and ends in what stirs our hearts, where we place our trust, and how we conduct our lives.”  This quote from Loeb’s Soul of a Citizen (a book that I found inspiring, boring, sensible, ridiculous, maddening, captivating, and difficult to read) prompted my heart.  What is hope?  The Bible, especially the New Testament, talks a lot about hope and how it relates to our faith journey.  But, what is hope?

In Romans 5, Paul writes,

There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!          Romans 5:3-5 (MSG)

“…keeping us alert for whatever God will do next.”  Those words resonated within me, especially when Paul continues with “In alert expectancy…”  Alert expectancy – that is the essence of hope.  The image that pops into my mind is that of a prairie dog poking its head up out of its burrow looking around expectantly (not fearfully!) and scampering out into the day.

Do we live our lives in that way – in alert expectancy of what God will do?  Do we believe that God is ultimately in control and His plan will prevail in the end?  Isn’t our call to live our lives in anticipation instead of fear?

In Good to Great, author Jim Collins tells the story of Admiral James Stockdale and his 8 year imprisonment as a POW during the Vietnam war.  When Collins asked how he had survived the ordeal of torture and confinement, Stockdale said,

I never lost faith in the end of the story.  I never doubted not only that I would get out, but also that I would prevail in the end…

He then explains to Collins that it was the optimists who did not survive because their hope was time-dependent (they felt confident they would be rescued by a certain time) and when that time passed, they died of a broken heart.  He then says

You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end – which you can never afford to lose – with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality.

While Stockdale’s philosophy is not expressly Biblical, when viewed through the lens of a disciple of Christ, the story points to alert expectancy – hope. We know that Christ and His plan will prevail in the end.  How much more powerful is that hope?!  Knowing that the end of the story is God prevailing and us with Him!  That is the essence of “alert expectancy,” of a hope that is not temporal, but eternal.  Yet, our call is to engage with God, not to sit idly by.

Translated into life lived as Salt & Light, hope means watching for God to work – expecting Him to do so, alert & tuned in to His Spirit – then participating with Him when He prompts us to do so.  Hope is knowing that He knows the end of the story & trusting Him to write our story into His.

Barnabas – A quiet leader

The legacy of Barnabas is one of encouragement.  In short snippets throughout the book of Acts, we are told that he donated money from the sale of land to support the early church, stood up for Saul after his conversion, served as a representative of the apostles, and partnered with Paul on his first missionary journey. Despite being less than a “main character” in the story, Barnabas quietly influenced the development of the early church and the spread of the Gospel message.

A behind the scenes sort of guy.  That might be how many would describe Barnabas.  He was not a recognized leader like Peter, nor was he the flamboyant zealot like Paul.  But as we look deeper into his story, we recognize that Barnabas took initiative, and he made things happen.  Whether behind the scenes or out front, that is the “stuff” that leaders are made of!

Consider that when Barnabas saw a need among the community of the early church, he did not start a fund raiser nor did he pass the hat.  He sold some land that belonged to him and “brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.”  (Acts 4:37)  No hedging or holding back, he did what needed to be done!  Encouraging?  Most certainly so, especially for those in the church who were struggling to feed their families. Initiative?  Obviously!

Then, in two separate examples, Barnabas stood up for the underdog.  The first I mentioned above in his vouching for Saul to the apostles.  The second was for John Mark who Paul wanted to leave behind as he and Barnabas were about to embark on the second missionary journey.  Paul argued that John Mark had abandoned them part of the way through the first missionary journey, and he was (evidently) not willing to take the chance of the same happening again.  But Barnabas stood up for John Mark, arguing that he was worthy of a second chance.  Paul stood his ground, but Barnabas would not relent.  The disagreement became so sharp, that Paul and Barnabas parted company and each went on the mission separately – Paul taking a new partner (Silas) and Barnabas taking John Mark.  It’s easy to see Barnabas’ encouragement here (imagine how Saul and John Mark felt toward Barnabas), but initiative?  Absolutely!  Putting his word on the line for a reformed murder and then for a quitter? Such is not for the faint of heart.  Yet, Barnabas did not hesitate – he took the initiative and acted on it.

Living as Salt & Light takes on as many forms as there are those doing it.

• A word to a downtrodden friend who feels lost and without hope to give him the courage (that’s what “encourage” REALLY means) to press on.
• An unsolicited offer to babysit for a single mom who has no family support structure nearby and needs a break

Encouragement and initiative – Barnabas lived those out.  His example teaches us to use these “tools” of the quiet leader to live our lives in this world intentionally as Salt & Light.

Caleb – Authenticity defined!

“Authentic” has become a cultural buzzword of late.  We want “authentic” leaders.  We search for “authentic” relationships, life experiences, and/or happiness.  We place great value in “authentic” cultural artifacts, and we crave “authentic” cuisine.  We want to be our “authentic” selves and live “authentic” lives.  The popularity and random use of the word is driving it toward irrelevance.  Yet, in the appropriate context, “authentic” is a powerful and deeply meaningful word.  The life of Caleb is an example of that timeless context.

Caleb was among the Israelites who left Egypt with Moses headed for the promised land.  We read his story him in Numbers where he is first mentioned as a leader of the tribe of Judah who was appointed by Moses along with 11 others to explore the land of Canaan.  The twelve (often referred to as the 12 spies) were to go and scope out the land, its produce, and the people who lived there in preparation for the possession of the land by the nation of Israel.

Upon returning from their expedition, the twelve told how awesome the land and its produce was, but 10 of them warned that it was inhabited by powerful giants who lived in fortified cities.  Hearing the latter, Caleb silenced the others and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”  (Numbers 13:30)  However, the people of Israel were spooked by the initial report and were having none of it!  When Caleb (and Joshua) tried to persuade them by reminding them that God was with them, the people threatened to stone them!  Yet, Caleb never faltered in his trust of God and God’s promise.  God described him as one who “has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly” and promised to give Caleb and his descendants the land that Caleb had help explore.

What was different about Caleb?  What can we learn from his story that applies to life in our modern world?

Caleb knew God’s promise and remained faithful to God.  God has a call on each of our lives, yet so often we are persuaded by the naysayers or distracted by the trappings of power, wealth, fame, etc.  Like Caleb, we are called to believe God and live out His call on our lives no matter what the “crowd” may be saying or doing.

Caleb followed God passionately.  In the face of overwhelming circumstances, Caleb kept his focus locked on God.  He ignored the “majority opinion” and tried desperately to persuade the people reminding them of God’s faithfulness, promise, and power.  Do we follow God’s direction no matter what?  Do we live our lives passionately tuned to His voice and obedient to the promptings of His Spirit?

Living as Salt & Light means we are different from the crowd, set apart for God’s purpose; yet, we are to live among the crowd.  Salt is useless if it has nothing to season, as is light if it is hidden.  Caleb refused to let “culture” dictate how he lived his life and who he was in God.  He was authentically who God called him to be, and he never apologized for that.  Despite having to wander for 40 years with those who refused to believe God, Caleb never wavered in his faith.  At the age of 85, he received his promised reward.

Like Caleb, may we live our lives authentic to who God has called us to be, striving in obedience to share His message and His love as Salt & Light.  May the longing of our hearts be to be a people who “have a different spirit and follow God wholeheartedly.”

Discipleship: Simple & SLO

Before we can live our lives as Salt & Light, we must be disciples of Jesus.  But what does it mean to be a disciple?  How do you “do” discipleship?

I recently listened to a podcast sermon series titled Simple by Andy Stanley of Northpoint Community Church in Alpharetta, GA.  Andy’s premise in this 3-part series is that discipleship is a “simple” process – Follow, Believe, and Obey – and that churches often have it reversed (putting “obey” first).  As I listened to the series, I was drawn back to a discipleship lesson that God has been teaching me for many years.  My first recorded notes of this lesson are in my journal in March 2002, but I know it had been brewing in my heart, mind, and spirit long before then.

The essence of the lesson (that God continues to teach me) is that discipleship is a SLO process, where the acronym is translated: S=surrender, L=listen, and O=Obey.  (It is not lost on me that the acronym sounds like “slow,” because the process certainly is not quick – at least for me!)  Listening to the podcast series, I pondered how mine & Andy’s lessons were similar, yet different.

Surrender vs. Follow – When Jesus called the twelve to come and follow Him, He asked them to give up everything – to surrender control of their lives and let Him run the show.  In our world, we can follow a leader without totally surrendering to that person, but that is not what Jesus asks.  He wants and asks for ALL – our total devotion.  Following Him is not like following a friend on Twitter.  (Funny to think of checking in on Jesus’ tweets!)  In the Jesus economy, follow = surrender.

Listen vs. Believe – When I use the term “listen” in the discipleship process, I am not talking about “hearing.”  I am talking about “listen” as what my Grandma meant when she said “Now you listen to me!”  In other words, “I am about to speak ‘truth’ into your life!”  I knew what she was about to say was gospel . . . I believed.  On the Mount of Transfiguration, God said, “This is My Son . . . Listen to Him!”  The implication is don’t just hear Him, but know that He speaks truth.  Believe Him.  In this way, listen approximates believe.

Obey.  Andy & I share this point.  Jesus made it clear that it was not enough to hear His words; He calls us to put them “into practice.”

The question remains, “How?”  How do I properly surrender my life to His Lordship?  How do I appropriately listen for His still, small voice and then correctly obey His prompting?  As a scientist, when I think of a “process,” I think of an ordered series of steps with a defined outcome.  The discipleship “process” definitely does not fit that notion.  Instead, discipleship is a creative process – Him creating me in His image.

In this way, the Christian’s life as a disciple of Christ is art.  In his book Summoned to Lead, author Leonard Sweet writes, “Faith is the art of hearing the invisible.  Hope is the art of believing the invisible.  Love is the art of trusting the invisible.”  Faith, hope, and love – the essential elements of a disciple’s character – are arts.  Art is different for each artist, and in that way, the process of discipleship is an art unique to each of Jesus’ disciples.

Leah – If God can use her . . .

Perhaps one of the best illustrations of God’s transcendence of circumstances is the life of Leah.  Pawned off by her father on an unsuspecting husband who was in love with (and intended to marry) her younger and, of course, more beautiful sister, Leah became the matriarch of six of the tribes of Israel. The story as recorded in Genesis appears to be one of sibling rivalry, bitterness, and destructive favoritism; however, in the midst in all of this dysfunction and manipulation, God is at work to establish the nation of Israel – His chosen people.

A week after he was tricked into marrying Leah, Jacob married her sister Rachel, his true love.  Leah obviously knows that she is not the favored wife – she knows that Jacob loves Rachel more than he loves her.  So, she sets out to “earn” the love of her husband by giving birth to sons for him.  After the birth of each of her first three sons, Leah speaks hopefully that this son will win her the love of her husband, but the implication is that Jacob still does not love her.  With the birth of her fourth son, Leah’s attitude seems to take a turn for the better.  She names him Judah (Hebrew for praise), stating that she would give praise to the Lord for the blessing of another son.  Her focus seems to shift to the recognizing God’s love for her.  However, the shift in focus rapidly reverted when Rachel gave her maidservant to Jacob to bear sons for him.  The competition was back on!  This seemingly dysfunctional rivalry escalated with the final tally: Leah – 6 sons (& a daughter), Zilpah (Leah’s maidservant) – 2 sons, Rachel – 2 sons, and Bilhah (Rachel’s maidservant) – 2 sons.  A total of 12 sons that Jacob fathered, the 12 who became the heads of the 12 tribes of Israel.

Prior to all of this, God had told Jacob in a dream that he would have many descendants through whom God would bless all the peoples of the earth.  I doubt that God’s perfect plan involved the dysfunction that ensued among Jacob’s wives, yet He worked in those circumstances to bring His promise to fruition.  For a short while in the story, it seemed that Leah “got it.”  She recognized God at work and praised Him for His blessings, but then she got caught up again in the human drama.

How often in our lives is God at work when all the while we are desperately trying to control or manipulate our circumstances?  Like Leah and Rachel, we get so caught up in the things of this life that we forget to look for God and His greater purpose.  We work hard to orchestrate our lives for our comfort, but we fail to recognize God using the things in our lives to shape our character.

In the story of Leah and Rachel, I see God pointing us toward a truth that Paul recorded centuries later when he wrote in his letter to the Romans,

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

Learning to look for God at work in our circumstances, both good & bad, and living our lives trusting Him to work and to bring about good out of those circumstances are powerful ways to live as Salt & Light.  When we live not resigned to our circumstances, but expectantly anticipating and seeking God’s hand in those circumstances, the world takes note.  It is then that we have an opportunity to glorify our Father in heaven.

Pedaling

I originally wrote this post while recuperating from my back surgery in June 2007.  Have not been able to ride as much as I want since, but this post still resonates from my heart.

Riding my bike through the streets of our little town or the surrounding quiet countryside is a passion for me. I love the feel of the bike responding to my efforts . . . my pushing and pulling on the pedals. I love “flying” down the tiny hills we have in town and then being able to push hard and ride back up those same hills. I delight in meandering through side streets, alleyways, and our town’s bike path with my girls. Just riding slowly and spending time learning about each other. Bicycles are unique that way, they let us go fast & escape but they also help us slow down & enjoy what is beautiful and meaningful. In cycling, I am in control, or mostly so . . . gravity does take over if I fail to pay attention!

Living life daily walking with Jesus is also a passion for me. I love seeing Him change lives. I delight in being a participant in His work, in being His disciple. However, this passion is somehow difficult for me. Probably because I am not in charge or in control. I want to set the pace, but only He can do so. Sometimes, I feel like I am ready for the next step, and I get impatient because He puts me on the shelf and makes me wait. I don’t always understand why. Other times, I’m sure that I am not ready to grow, but He pushes me into situations where I must grow. Discipleship, sometimes fast, other times slow . . . but the control is not mine. Maybe that is why I love to pray when I ride – I control the bike and give Him my heart.

This poem by an unknown author says it well:

PEDAL

At first I saw God as my observer, my judge, keeping track of the things I did wrong, so as to know whether I merited heaven or hell when I die.  He was out there, sort of like the president.  I recognized His picture when I saw it, but I really didn’t know him.

But later on when I met Christ, it seemed as though life were rather like a bike ride, but it was a tandem bike, and I noticed that Christ was in the back helping me pedal.  I don’t know just when it was that He suggested that we change places, but life has not been the same since.

When I had control, I knew the way.  It was rather boring but predictable — it was the shortest distance between two points.  But when He took the lead, He knew delightful long cuts, up mountains, and through rocky places at breakneck speeds, and it was all I could do to hang on!  Even though it looked like madness, He said, “Pedal.”

I worried and was anxious and asked, “Where are You taking me?”  He laughed and didn’t answer, and I started to learn to trust.  I forgot my boring life and entered into the adventure.  And when I’d say, “I’m scared,” He’d lean back and touch my hand.  He took me to people with gifts that I needed, gifts of healing, acceptance, and joy.  They gave me gifts to take on my journey, my Lord’s and mine.  And we were off again.  He said, “Give the gifts away, they’re extra baggage, too much weight.”

So I did, to the people we met, and I found that in giving I received, and still our burden was light.  I did not trust Him at first, to be in control of my life, I thought He would wreck it; but He knows bike secrets, knows how to make it bend to take sharp corners, knows how to jump to clear high rocks, knows how to fly to shorten scary passages.  And I’m learning to shut up and pedal in the strangest places, and I’m beginning to enjoy the view and the cool breeze on my face with my delightful constant companion, Jesus Christ.

And when I’m sure I just can’t do anymore, He smiles and says … “Pedal.”

Life as a “Radical” – Part 2

Anna the prophetess is only mentioned once in the Bible – in Luke 2:36-38.  She is one of the first two people to greet Joseph and Mary as they bring the infant Jesus into the Temple.  Continuing from the previous post,  I’d like to highlight what I perceived as another important lesson from our discussion – Anna’s immediate action in obedience to God.

When Joseph and Mary entered the Temple, Luke tells us that Simeon was the first to greet them.  However, as soon as Simeon finished speaking, Anna acted.  The Bible says, “at that very moment” Anna approached the family, gave thanks to God, and began to tell everyone who this little baby was.  Stop and think.  Anna had been waiting and preparing for this moment for the majority of her adult life.  Widowed in her early 20′s, Anna had spent her life in the Temple worshiping, fasting, and praying.  She knew about the coming Messiah and hoped beyond hope that she would have the chance to meet Him.

When that moment arrived, Anna, true to her “radical” nature, did not hesitate.  “At that very moment” is how the Scripture describes her action.  No hesitation, just immediate obedience to the unction in her heart.  Here He was!  The Messiah was in the house!  Anna could not keep this to herself.  She gave thanks to God – maybe for this moment, maybe for this Holy Child, maybe for both and more – and immediately began to tell everyone that this little baby was the promised Messiah.  Anna was one of the first evangelists!

Have you ever had a moment when the Holy Spirit prompted you to act . . . and you hesitated and maybe lost the moment?  I have.  An example that sticks in my memory happened years ago on a rainy August afternoon as I was walking across campus for a meeting.  As I approached the building where the meeting was to be held, mostly dry under the protection of my large umbrella, a young lady was walking briskly toward me getting soaked by the torrential downpour.  Her white t-shirt was rapidly becoming transparent, and she had her arms folded across herself to cover up.  In that second, I “heard” a still, small voice in my heart clearly say, “Give her your umbrella.”  But I hesitated.  This was my nice, new umbrella!  It was keeping me and my coat and tie nice and dry.  How could I just give it away?  And then, she rushed past me, never really noticing my presence.  Moment gone.

Sometime later, I told this story (confessed, really) to a dear old friend – a man whose faith I admire to this day.  As I finished the story, he smiled and pointed a finger at me, “You missed a blessing.”  Indeed I did.  I hesitated when I knew clearly God’s directive.  I was disobedient to His prompting.  No, I wasn’t struck by lightning, and I am sure the young lady quickly reached her destination and found some dry clothes.  But, I let that moment and that opportunity slip away.

Anna didn’t!  When the moment came, she seized the opportunity to be Salt & Light.  She shared the blessing of knowledge that God had given her and glorified Him in the process.  Do you think that moment blessed her?  I have no doubt that it did.  May her “radical” tribe increase.