The Lord will use you if you just let him. So often we are caught up in only doing ministry during, “ministry hours.” This isn’t how the Lord has designed us to live. Ministry should be 24/7. It is a way of life not a job.
Papa reminds me of this everyday. Especially when he puts situations in my lap that I know were ordained by him. On Saturday three of us from my team journeyed into Chiang Mai to see the doctor. We decided to stay the night because it would be to late to catch a bus back.
We got to our hostel late and had to wait outside for someone to let us in and then had to wait to find a key to open our room. By this point we were all pretty exhausted from the day. Earlier that morning our church service was 3.5 hours long all in Thai. We were also on 2-hour dish duty after the feast to celebrate the new church opening that morning. Then drove the 1.5-hour into the city and the hour we spent at the hospital. All this to say we had a long day…
The three of us were all lying in our beds getting cozy when someone walks into our room. It is a hostel after all so someone walking into your room isn’t uncommon. I figured I should talk to her and ask where she is from- all the polite questions you would ask a stranger. However I decided to go outside and Skype for a little bit before going to bed.
I walked back into the room about an hour later and the girl was still up. So I figured I would ask her where she was from and what she was doing in Thailand. This question opened up into a series of questions about the race, life, and faith. She was traveling by herself for the holidays and just so happened to stay in our room.
I believe the Lord was doing a lot more in her than I perceived at the time. I could see the Lord was speaking to her through me, it was apparent. We ended our conversation by me recommending ways for her to read, study, and seek the Lord in new ways.
I don’t have it all figured out. None of us do. However the Lord knows when you can simply be that conversation for someone. My prayer for her is that she continues to seek the Lord even when she doesn’t know how. To be a listening ear to the next person that just needs someone to talk to.
We are all missionaries in our own way. You don’t have to be half way around the world… Seek out the people who are right in your own neighborhood.
Ministry is how you live your life. It is daily saying yes to the Lord and being willing to follow him- whatever that looks like for you.
