Say Something

 

But our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged. 2 Corinthians 10:15b

 

We have a friend who says he can always tell how faithful a person is by how well he/she is known in his/her own town.

Very few people in our small town know us. We have only been here about three years and we are still getting acquainted with our immediate neighbors.  In the larger community, we know almost no one.

I have been convicted that I am not working hard enough to serve my neighbors, so they will know who I am, and Whom I serve.

This summer I have started walking in the area. I am intentional about trying to make eye contact, greet others as I walk by, and stop to help if I see a need. Sounds so simple doesn’t it?  I don’t feel like I have made much progress.

Very few will make eye contact with me. They walk by, either looking at their phones or the ground. When I greet them, some acknowledge me without looking, some ignore my greeting completely.

How is a Christian to serve where people won’t look up?  Recently, I have been trying to step out of my own comfort zone, asking God to show me someone who needs to be encouraged.  I have been pleasantly surprised.

God encouraged me  with a lady a few blocks from my home. She was walking and I saw her stop at a bench along the sidewalk to catch her breath, obviously tired. I asked if she was ok. She said she was fine, my usual clue to keep moving.  Instead, I asked her if I could pray for her. She looked up at me, surprised. Maybe she wanted to see if I was serious. She responded, “Prayer is always good,” and grabbed my hand as I sat down. So, I prayed for her.

Her enthusiasm has given me courage to speak more directly to others, to ask if they have a need and pray for them. I am not so courageous as to do it with everyone. I am trying to respond to the nudges of God as I walk.

Sometimes I walk and I am self -absorbed.  I wonder how many times I have missed having my hand grabbed for prayer because I have been walking with my head down, focused on my own needs.  Fact is, I have walked many more days than I have prayed for someone.

I don’t think that this woman came to know Christ because I prayed for her. I pray that what I conveyed to her was that He loves her and sees her in her moment of difficult breathing.

I also pray that I will be more intentional in reaching out to others more often, especially in my “area of influence,” my own neighborhood.

How intentional are we to make eye contact and ask about our neighbor’s needs?  Are you and I willing to look up as we go –and then say something as the Lord nudges us to speak up?