A couple of years ago, I rode down to Southport with a lady that seemingly “had it all together”. You know, a person that you don’t know very well but have an impression of based on what you have seen or heard from them. I had not spent much time with her but I have to admit I was a little intimidated by her. She had a demeanor that came across very dedicated to work, and not a lot of room for mistakes. She also could laugh and cut up but had a dry sense of humor to where you weren’t really sure if she was unhappy with something you had done or just joking around. It was very difficult for me to understand her. Well, she invited me to ride down to Southport with her to a meeting. I thought it was a little strange that she asked me but I felt as though I should go. During that trip down and back I learned a lot. As she referred to me as a “woman of faith”, she began to open up and share things with me about her life. She began to ask me questions about what is right and wrong. I remember as she started talking, I just prayed and asked God for a listening ear and a careful tongue. I quickly realized that I was there for a reason. I was there to share God’s love to a woman who I thought, “had it all together”.
I learned on that trip, that I became quick to judge someone I didn’t really know well. She was a woman that was searching and hurting and I almost let my “impressions” of her ruin an opportunity to share the hope that is in Christ. I also learned that people all around are watching us. I had never told her I was a Christian but she was watching. People everywhere around us are hurting and they are searching for something or someone that can give them hope. What a wake-up call that was to me! The Lord convicted me strongly that I need to be less quick to judge others. We are the salt and light! We are the ones who should share the love of Christ and follow his example of loving others.
Matthew 5:13-16 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
I don’t want to lose that saltiness! I want a flavor-filled life for Christ whose aroma is infectious to all those around me! When we live for Christ, our light shines brightly for the entire world to see. We have the awesome responsibility to come in contact with many people who are hurting on the inside. Our “impressions” may be that they have it all together, but we need to have sensitivity to their needs. I know that I want my light to shine brightly and not have it hidden “under a bowl”. I pray that my light for Christ will bring light into the lives of the hurting and induce the flavor-filled life for my Lord that salt can bring. That is when they can receive the hope and love that is God.
I praise God that he showed me my failures yet again. It is in my failure that I see his glory and realize that I am nothing without him.
Have a blessed week in the Lord!
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