Many people wonder how people such as myself can be so calm in their times of adversity.  Whether it be illness, job loss, loss of a loved one, a relationship issue, one of the kids having troubles….regardless of the situation, we seem to maintain an odd peace that they just cannot put their finger on. 

 

The answer is more simple than they can comprehend.  It is our faith in God, the knowledge that He has a plan that supersedes any circumstances we may find ourselves in.  We know that no matter what we face in life, He is there holding us up, comforting us, loving us, and reminding us that ANYTHING can be turned into a blessing even if we don’t see it right away.  This does not mean that we don’t experience all of the feelings and emotions that everyone else does.  We do.  We feel the pain of loss, we worry about our children, our spouses or significant others, we have the weight of the responsibility of paying our bills.  The difference is, we know that just as God feeds the birds of the air and waters the flowers of the fields, He is going to take care of us. 

 

For those who are not Christians, who have not accepted Jesus Christ as their saviour, this sounds too good to be true.  It may look like we see God as a personal fairy god-father waving a magic wand in the air.  It may look like we refuse to “live in the real world”.  That is okay.  We were not called to MAKE people believe in Jesus Christ.  We were called to be a shining light and example of God’s love, mercy, and grace.  To yes, share the gospel with our words, but even more so, to show the gospel by our actions. 

 

There have been many times I have been asked why I don’t worry about this or that.  My reply is always the same.  “Why should I?  God has brought me this far and blessed me in more ways than I can count.  I know that when I am going through a storm of life, it often means He is preparing me for another blessing to enrich my life, grow in Him, and glorify Him.  If I already know He has blessings in store for me, why should I worry?  He will provide what I need when I need it, not after”.  This has opened up MANY conversations with people whom I know either don’t believe in God at all or, are uncertain about His existence.  It puzzles them and they begin asking questions.  Have I seen any of them make a decision to follow Christ?  A few later on down the road.  However while most of the people I have had that conversation with I no longer have regular contact with, I continue to pray for them.  I pray that God will bring the next person in their life who He has chosen to share His gospel.  I pray that whatever they are facing, He will send one of His followers to encourage them and uplift them.

 

We never know what the people we come across are going through.  How often do we pray for random strangers just because?  How often do we stop what we are in the middle of doing in the store when we see someone struggling with something and offer to help?  How often do we chat with the person in front of or behind us in line?  Sometimes, a simple act of kindness, the extending of a friendly word while waiting for our turn to pay, can bless someone more than we know.  As followers of Christ we should view each day as a new day full of endless possibilities to show God’s love to others.  Whether it is a friendly word, a silent prayer they are not even aware of, a kind act, or an in depth conversation, any one of these could be the spark from the light of the Holy Spirit placed in you that God uses to ignite a flame of desire in that person to know Christ.  The possibilities are endless and as Jesus said in Matthew 9:37, “The harvest is truly plentiful”.  With a heart of love, let’s go labour for God today.  Let’s share the wonderful and joyful news that our God is the living God, that He has already sent His Son to pay the debt so that we can have saving grace.