Have you ever had one of those moments where you have to stop dead in your tracks and say to yourself “This is not what I should be doing right now, this goes against everything I stand for”. I’ll be honest I know I sure have, to be really honest more times than I like to admit. I’m not saying horrible things that would make you change your opinion about me, I’m talking about the things that seem like they are little and could easily be brushed off, yet have the potential to make large impacts on people if the right decision is made in those moments. I believe we come across these opportunities everyday, and if we started to notice them then who knows the impact we could make around us on a daily basis. I want to show you an example I came across just recently that has made me stop and think just how many others I have so easily passed up on in my life.
We spent our first month in a city called Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. We were blessed to live in an actual apartment building where we had a kitchen, 2 bathrooms, real showers, and rooms with beds that we only had to share with 1 other person, And the best part we even had A/C! I know that doesn’t seem like much but on the World Race that’s basically the best of the best hands down. We lived in a community of strictly French speaking locals so communication around town wasn’t the most convenient, but when it came to the kids in our neighborhood language barriers meant nothing. We got to spend every night after ministry playing with these joyful little ones who wanted nothing from us but our time, laughs, maybe a game of soccer, and silly faces we made as we created secret handshakes with them. They found pleasure in the most simple of things and to them those 3 hours in the afternoon meant the world. You don’t need to speak the same language to understand how much the little moments mean to kids, their never ending smiles and bursts of laughter explain it all. We would come home from ministry and would instantly be greeted by a heard of them screaming with pure excitement “Mr.Jon! Mr.Sanders! Viens Jouer!(Come play)” Everyday was the same without a doubt they would be waiting for us to spend just a few hours that we didn’t realize would impact them for much longer then the time we spent outside with them. And everyday we would be so tired from walking around in the heat all morning but most of the time it didn’t stop us from joining them for a few hours. Now I say “Most of the Time” because I’m not going to lie and say everyday we did this. That’s why I’m writing this blog today…
There was a funny thing about these kids, their commitment to get us to come outside. If they didn’t see us come out of our apartment by 5pm without a doubt we would soon hear the ring of the doorbell, over, and over, and over.. And over, and over. I’m not joking when I say they did not stop until we came to the door.. And they would look at us with their innocent faces as if they didn’t just ring our doorbell 50 times and say “Mr. Jon Viens Jouer” with that look that is almost impossible to say no to. Again I say “Almost” and even typing this gives me conviction about not spending every night out there. There was one day that sticks out to me and that was a day me and my roommate were laying in our room, A/C full blast, eating a candy bar and watching a Netflix movie we had downloaded. All of a sudden almost like an alarm on your phone you set 5pm hit and we heard from the hallway “ding ding ding, ding ding ding, ding ding ding.(50x)” We both sighed and without thinking I said “just one day of rest would be nice”…. and almost just as fast as the words left my lips the conviction hit my stomach like an internal pain.. I couldn’t believe what just came out of my mouth. I found myself then standing up putting on my shoes and dragging myself outside to join the little ones. Without a second of hesitation it was as if God said “Why did you come here Jon? To lay in bed, eat candy, watch Netflix in the A/C? Because I thought you came here to impact people, To live as an example of me, To spread Love to all even when your body is exhausted? If not you can go home. Because there is plenty of what your doing right now back there waiting for you…” And not waiting for an answer he physically pulled me up and put a “Yes” in my spirit. Whether I wanted it or not. And to be honest I have never felt more convicted, but then felt grateful that God cares that much and has that much faith in me to do such a thing.
I share this story with you not to boast, as a matter of fact it’s the exact opposite. I still find myself struggling to take full advantage of moments around me that could possibly impacting others in ways I may never know. I still find myself wanting to do what would be easiest for me. I still need God to force that “yes” spirit inside me like a pill that’s hard to swallow. But each day I try to wake up and just start noticing what opportunities he placed around me to take advantage of. Because whether you’re in Africa, Asia, or even America he doesn’t leave anybody out of the game called “Impact those around you” But it does start with noticing the game to begin with. So I want to encourage you as I encourage myself, to look for these opportunities. You may not be so lucky to have a doorbell to remind you but I promise they are waiting for you right outside your door. Just like a gang of kids eager to play a simple game or share a smile. And let’s be honest, when our final days come and it’s time to leave this world, what will you cherish more, the times you lived for yourself or the times you took that “yes” spirit and lived for those around you?
