A sign - Part 1

First off, a special thanks goes to The Lex, for inspiring me to dust off the old blog.

Secondly, I'm not sure how long this "blogging kick" will last, but there will be 3 parts to this. 

Lately, I have been attempting to keep my heart and mind open to how God would have me serve Him day-to-day and moment-to-moment. I fail more times than I would like to admit, but these are a few things that have happened recently.

Question #1 – How many signs do we encounter on a daily basis? It is impossible to count them. From directions to warnings to advertisements, signs are everywhere. They constantly compete for our attention.

Question #2 – Does God have a plan for our lives? We often want to know. We want to know everything, especially if it pertains to us and our futures. I have found myself guilty of searching for God’s plan for my life through looking for “signs” around me. Message written in a cloud? Directions found in a fortune cookie? Opening a Bible to a random page and reading for guidance? I may or may not have attempted all or none of these.

What if we are too busy looking for “God’s plan” for our lives that we miss His plan for us today in this very moment? Do we really believe we have ended up in this place and situation by happenstance? God has intentionally surrounded us with people and opportunities to be the hands and feet of Christ.

One Monday morning a few weeks back, I was at a local middle school. Every day begins the same way with students leading the Pledge of Allegiance, calling for a minute of silence, and sharing the morning announcements. During that minute of silence I closed my eyes and prayed, “God, it’s Monday. Phillip didn’t sleep through the night. I’m tired. I don’t want to be here…but, if you can use me today, let’s do it. Amen.” 

"He said to them, 'Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.'" - Jesus (Mark 16:15)

A few minutes later the teacher began to show the class a CNN Student News piece on the SmartBoard. News from all over the world was included. There were the Umbrella Protests in Hong Kong and a brain bank for scientists to attempt to find cures for brain diseases among others. As the short video ended, the teacher asked her class of 7^th graders what they thought about the brain bank. Almost all of the reactions were negative or the students were “weirded out” to say the least. She then began to ask about being an organ donor. Most of the students claimed they would never give a kidney to their sibling because the same sibling wouldn’t give them a kidney either. 

As the discussion began to die down, the teacher looked at me in the back of the room and said, “Reverend, what happens to our bodies when we die?” My initial reaction was to look around and see who she was talking to. I’ve never been called Reverend and had to make sure the question was directed toward me. Observing what I already knew, that I was the only person in the back of the room, I responded. “Our bodies are buried in the ground and rot and decay. They become useless after we die.” Not expecting to be called on, but thinking I did a semi-decent job of answering the presented question, I relaxed in my seat believing I would go back to simply observing. 

The teacher then asked, “Reverend, what happens to our souls when we die?” I’m sure it wasn’t a polished, perfect answer, but I think I said, “If we have a relationship with Jesus and trust in Him for our salvation, we will spend eternity in Heaven with Him. If we do not have a relationship with Jesus we will spend eternity separated from Him in Hell.” 

BOOM! I suddenly realize that I asked God to use me today and I proceeded to be given an opportunity to share the most basic Gospel presentation in two sentences. Looking back, I wish I would’ve taken the opportunity to elaborate, but I know that God knew exactly what He was doing. 

I hope you do not see this as a look-at-me moment. I hope you will be inspired and encouraged by the fact that if God has a plan and purpose for me, then He most certainly has one for you. 

The choice is your's. I hope you choose to BE the difference in the world that surrounds you.

Much love,

Rand