God is always at work. I tend to complain/boast about how busy I am, but I really have no room to talk. It’s so humbling and exciting to see Him at work! It’s even more exciting to be invited into what He is doing.
About two weeks ago Nichol and I began our morning sleep deprived and fueled by Dunkin Donuts. As we set up for the craft show, we prepared ourselves for criticisms and apathy towards this mission. Don’t get me wrong, we were excited to be there and knew that whatever the outcome, God would provide for us.
But as we prepared for the worst, God prepared His best.
We made sure to visit the booths of those who came by ours earlier. One was ran by a family who was selling a variety of different crafts. The breast cancer wreath caught my eye.
“How much for this one?” I asked, then added “my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer last summer.”
This simple statement opened the door for me to learn about the trials this family was going through. Trials that mirrored my own, as one of the women told me how her daughter had been diagnosed earlier this year.
Instantly, we became fellow warriors in the fight against a disease that was hurting our loved ones.
As Nichol and I told her we would be praying for her daughter and family, the Holy Spirit moved in me, saying “why not now?”
And that’s how, in the midst of all the bustle of the craft show, through tears, Nichol and I sat down to pray with a woman we’ve never met before, for a woman we’d never even seen.
I think God wanted us there that day. Not just to fundraise, but more importantly to share the love of Christ to someone who was hurting. Our missions don’t begin when we leave the country. They don’t begin when we finally start that new ministry at church. They are happening everyday, all around us. God is not lazy. He is always at work and always moving, using any and every moment. He reminded me not to have such a forward focus on the Race so that I miss out on these beautiful circumstances here and now. God created a new bond out of trials and suffering. I shouldn’t be surprised of course, when I look at the cross I see the same type of love coming out of pain. He redeems brokenness, turning it into something beautiful.
How many times do I brush elbows with someone who is struggling too? How many times could I give encouragement and love to the strangers I meet each day?
Our pains in life present us with the most beautiful opportunities to connect with one another. I love when God takes the bad and turns it around for good. It reminds me of Joseph’s words, after his brothers had sold him into slavery and he finally faces them again;
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good” – Genesis 50:20
ANYTHING in the hands of God is a tool to bless us and further His kingdom.
