Hey there :)
I just wanted to chat about a change that's been happening in me probably during the last few years and that has only just really began to permeate out of my heart and into my surroundings. This all sounds very vague but I shall make it clearer now!
When I was younger, I was VERY shy and I hated talking to strangers and was intimidated by most people. To initiate conversation with someone I didn't know, would be unthinkable. However, over the years God has been changing my heart and this isn't just in a spiritual way but also through the influence of my parents and those in my church and the general environments I have been putting myself in and the situations I have found myself in that are challenging and scary but SO character building. Only recently have I been finding that, just in small ways, my confidence has grown. This first was shown in my willingness to lead worship on a Sunday morning and then later on, to speak a short message about freedom in worship.
But most significantly, I have been able to have conversations with people I don't know. This sounds so simple to a lot of people I'm sure, but for example, just chatting to the old lady in the cornershop would have been a big deal, but now, I actually like having a chat with people I randomly meet!
For example, the other day, I was walking home and this old man's dog was sniffing around my legs and it was a really gorgeous dog so I just thought, I'm just going to tell him!
So I said "You're dog's really beautiful," And with, at first a look of pleasant surprise and then a amiable smile the man replied "Ah yes, but the trouble is she knows it!"
That short, forgettable interchange there completely brightened up my day and hopefully made him a little happier too.
Another example, is when I went to the swimming pool the other day. Some days at this particular pool, the pool is full and they don't have enough lifeguards so no more people are allowed in and this day was one of those days. A lot of the people in the queue were getting a bit cross and frustrated but instead of fading into the background and letting them bully the poor lifeguard on reception I stepped up and asked him the questions that they were dying to ask but in a kind way that didn't make him feel intimidated. I also chatted to the other people in the queue and, I would like to think, influenced the atmosphere with peace and friendliness.
Again, this is a very small thing, but I believe, as Christians, the ways in which we represent Jesus doesn't need to be in big "lightening bolts and thunder" miracles or prophesies, but sometimes just in the quiet confident ways in which we bring light into other people lives, if that means talking about the weather with the old lady in the shop, or talking about the latest news at school with the boy who always sits alone, we can bring happiness to people in a way that Jesus would.
Jesus did miracles and did incredible things, but He didn't do that for everybody. He was so led by the Spirit that He knew EXACTLY what that person needed. Sometimes what they needed was someone to let them know they cared. Sometimes He told them something no one else could possibly know.
One size does not fit all and perhaps we need to look at, not finding certain tricks and tips for getting someone into a conversation about Jesus, but ask God about their heart, ask Him what they need, and make a REAL difference in someones life. Don't just add them to a scorebook of people you've "preached" to.
Sorry, this has been a very round a bout topicy thing. But it's just what I've been thinking about recently and I just love people and I want to encourage people that, simply to love people, is an alright way to be :)
E.C.
