Philemon 1:6
As you share your faith with others, I pray that they may come to know all the blessings Christ has given us.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
One phone call … ultimately, the balance of two lives came down to a single phone call. Journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee were captured by North Korean military patrol on the North Korea/China border on March 17, 2009. The two were charged as spies and sentenced to hard labor for twelve years.
Efforts to rescue the women were largely unsuccessful until it was learned that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il desired a face-to-face meeting with former U.S. President Bill Clinton. It seems that when Kim Jong Il’s father died, then-President Clinton had been the first person to call him … even ahead of his own allies. Kim Jong Il wanted to meet the person who had been so kind and thoughtful, and an exchange was brokered … a meeting with Clinton led to the release of the two young reporters. In August, 140 days later, President Clinton met with Kim Jong Il … and Euna Lee and Laura Ling were set free.
I share this story with you today for two reasons. First, I want to emphasize the power of one gesture. When we reach out to someone else with a smile, a handshake, a kind word, a phone call, note of encouragement or even an e-mail message, we have no idea how we impact that person. A dear friend of mine once related to me how I had hugged her in line for Holy Communion one Sunday, and it made her day. I did not remember hugging her, specifically. Another lady told my mother-in-law, “When Debbie sees me, she always hugs me.” I didn’t realize I hugged this woman, either. But after that comment, I made sure I always did! A simple hug meant the world to her. So my first point is that our seemingly small gestures do matter. Just look at what a phone call to express sympathy did for two young women held captive in North Korea!
The second point is that we cannot begin to comprehend the power of sharing our faith with others, in ways great and small. We have no idea how even the simplest expressions of love for another person … a simple “God bless you” … can make a huge difference. I recently shared with you about telling my cousin, “I’m praying for you.” I don’t remember that at all … but he surely does! Inviting a friend or family member to church, sharing a copy of a really good inspirational book, or even commenting to someone on Facebook about your walk with God or telling them God cares about them can have a huge impact.
We need to pay closer attention to our day and how we conduct ourselves. We need to be more aware of those around us … their needs and the ways God is calling us to share His love with them. We need to smile, hug and love more. How hard is it to say, “I’m praying for you” (then be sure you really do pray for them!) or “God bless you”? What’s keeping you from asking, “Where do you go to church?” or saying, “We have a great youth group at our church, and we’d love for you to visit.”? Are you denying others the opportunity to know all of the blessings of Christ because you aren’t sharing your faith? Because honestly, that’s what it boils down to … it’s either apathy or indifference on our part, timidity, or plain old selfishness and an “it’s-all-about-me” attitude … and it grieves God.
I don’t think this truly describes most of us. I believe that we really want to share our faith, but maybe we’ve just lacked confidence or gotten bogged down in daily living and forgotten to look up and out at those around us. We can change this … with God’s help. Ask Him to show you how and where to share. Start with one call … one smile … one hug or blessing. The more you give, the easier it gets – and the more the blessings multiply. I pray that today is the day we all get busy sharing our faith. I can’t wait to see what happens … can you?!
©2010 Debbie Robus
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