We were in Hampi, India, a village that draws tourists because of its history and many temples. We had taken an overnight train to spend a day experiencing the culture. If there is one thing a Christian should know, it’s that God doesn’t have “off days”. Although my team and I get to participate in cultural experiences on occasion we always try to be sensitive to what God is wanting to do in the moment. I like to think of it as being divinely interrupted. We got to live this out many days during our ATL (ask the Lord) months, and it’s a lifestyle we strive to live for each day and will continue to do so after we return to the USA.
I felt the rush of excitement as my team and I walked down the dirt roads of the Indian village. It was a nice break from scheduled ministry, and we were having fun checking out the different shops and practicing our bargaining skills.
I was set on a mission: to find a necklace. I wanted something special to remind me to pray for India, and I wanted something that held meaning. I prayed silently as I walked from shop to shop, and when my teammates stopped at a shop, the jewelry store next door caught my eye.
The presence of God was thick, and I wasn’t feeling it because of the village, but it was because I knew He was walking the streets with us. I remember entering into the jewelry store and I felt overwhelming peace about buying something from the shopkeeper there.
Molly joined me as I asked to see the different stones beneath the glass case until one caught my eye; it was a small pink stone. The shopkeeper was friendly, and easy to talk to as I’ve found most people to be in India; he began to make conversation.
“Why are you in India?” the shopkeeper asked us.
“We’re tourists.” (we were told not to mention the World Race or the fact that we were there on a mission trip).
“You don’t dress like tourists. You dress like volunteer workers.”
I nodded and smiled awkwardly “We’re tourists,” I insisted.
He bobbled his head before speaking again.
“Many tourists are like this,” he waved his hands in the air dramatically, and then he stopped and smiled as he looked at us. “But you are peace.”
It didn’t register until later the magnitude of what he had said to us. In the midst of Hindu temples and the frantic waves of tourism, we stood out to this shopkeeper.
We stood out to him as “peace.”
Colossians 4:5 came to mind:
“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.”
God didn’t need us to open our mouths and begin preaching to this Indian man for him to experience Him. This man was feeling peace from us because the Prince of Peace is within us and was with us in that store. It was a humble reminder of how God moves through us when we’re not even conscious of it. It was also a reminder of how people are watching when you may not realize, and you don’t know the impact you are making on them.
It’s so simple, but profound that all we have to do is walk with God and people will notice a difference in you. The more time you spend with someone the more you begin to pick up their habits and act like them, and so it’s the same in your relationship with God. If you invite Him into every aspect of your life, even the mundane tasks like shopping, He will meet you there and He can use you to impact others.
I’ll wear my necklace now to remind myself not just to pray for India, but also to remind myself of the shopkeeper who felt God’s peace and to pray for him as well. It’ll remind me to remember that people are watching and there is always an opportunity to share the gospel with them. They may not always be open to listening to words, but they can experience what Jesus has done in me just by knowing I’m different than others.
