I got told what’s up by an African today.
On the muttatu ride to ministry today, our team was dealing with the usual horde of African men banging on the windows trying to sell us cell phone minutes, sausages, peanuts, popcorn, or other miscellaneous food items. We usually just shake our heads “no,” and they go on their way, but today they weren’t giving up.
They pried their fingers into the windows to open them and get our attention.
“Sistah, sistah!” they chant over and over.
“No!” we tell them, “We don’t want anything, we have no money!”
Shanna, getting especially harassed at her window seat, said, “They just see our white skin and think we have lots of money. Look! I have my bible, I have my journal. I have no money!”
An African man and a woman were seated in front of us, and kept glancing back to witness our predicament. That is when the man decided to pipe up.
He answered Shanna by saying, “Then this is your opportunity to evangelize to them.”
Whoa.
To me, this was a slap in the face—the good kind, the kind I think we all needed.
Day to day, we focus on sharing the love of Christ with those we meet in the ministry setting. I pray for the words to say and for the Lord to meet us there. We pray for the widows’ group, for healing, for joy, for provision. We share God’s Word with the women of the church. We try to encourage their hearts and challenge them in their faiths. We share the gospel with people in the village whom we meet. We preach of God’s greatness and faithfulness in churches on Sunday mornings.
But am I ministering to the heart of the store clerk I see everyday when I buy bread and eggs for the team?
Am I encouraging my teammates when they are sick or having a hard day?
Am I speaking truth into the men banging on the bus windows who are just trying to make a living?
So often I overlook them. I am so focused on ministry when it’s in a structured setting. That is not a bad thing.
But I must ask myself, am I living a lifestyle of ministry?
Am I loving people and showing Christ in all that I do? Do people see the light of Christ in me when I am walking down the street, shopping at the market, or riding on the bus? More often than not, the answer to these questions is no.
I got to ministry, complete my task for the day, check it off my list, and feel like I’ve accomplished something. But have I? I may work for the glory of the Lord for a few hours per day, but what about the other 21 hours?
Ministry should not just be one compartment of my life. It should fill all the compartments of my life. People should see Jesus as I work, as I play, as I shop, as I travel, in everything I do.
Today, God issue me a challenge in the form of a green-eyed African man on a bus. Will I answer that challenge?
Will you?
