Hopping leads to fulfilled hopes

My former roommate counted the steps from my old place to this one, it is 100 steps by her count. I had been keeping count of the journeys back and forth across the street while moving. I gave up the count after the 168th. The first night I slept here after everything had been moved in I spent some time in prayer asking God to reveal to me where these steps were going to lead me. After all, I had taken a leap of faith and it found me making a hop across the road.

For the last couple of years I have felt I needed to reassess where I was committing myself. I am blessed by being placed where I have had a chance to reach many others with God's love. I am grateful God has given me several people at work with whom I can share my faith. It is so exciting to be someone God uses to tell of His love. As the joy of that has been the high point of my life, I wondered what I could do to make more of my life that way. I have been leaning fairly heavily on a few friends who were willing to make an investment in me by offering their time, love and prayer. Through their guidance I felt God leading me away from what was easy and unproductive, to what is hard and uncertain. Not having a roommate to help with the bills is frightening. Having increasing physical difficulties on my own is also a little scary, but already there have been great rewards.

One night last week a friend who is going through a rough time in this phase of her sobriety needed to talk with someone who understood her problem. Her sponsor was out of town and she called me. She knows I may not understand everything she is going through but am familiar with her journey. My first nursing job was working in a treatment facility. To hold that job I had to go through the 12 steps of AA myself. This time when she called instead of me having to get dressed and meet her somewhere, she was able to come over here. She had always been afraid of waking my roommate. Now she came freely and as we sat amongst the boxes sharing I got a glimpse of how this change is already a blessing. You see she is just coming to terms with a power greater than herself, she hasn't yet come to see God. I am so happy she feels free to call me knowing I will share how God is working in my life.

I had my second late night visit this week. My little sister was making her way back from the Kentucky Derby and was road weary. She needed a place to catch some down time before continuing to West Texas. As we sat around my table and prayed over late night soup I felt such peace. There is no greater gift than holding hands and taking both of your hearts and their concerns to God's altar together.

God has already given me opportunities to make use of being on my own. I've met a few new neighbors and we have been helping each other. I already know many people in the buildings around me. I look forward to continuing those relationships. I have been reading Just Walk Across the Room, by Bill Hybels. While I don't agree with everything he has written, I find this book confirming many things I hold to be true.

I quote.

"If you ask a hundred believers whether they have friends or family members who are living far from God and who face a Christless eternity, they will say yes.

And if you ask the same group if they agree that our goal is to walk into heaven with as many of those people as possible by building relationships, understanding where they are in their faith journeys, and seizing opportunities to tell of the story of God's love for them, again most will agree.

But sit that group down....look them directly in the eyes, and ask whether they are actively doing the work of telling them about how to have a relationship with God. What do you think they will say?"

I am afraid that most of the folks would not be able to respond in the affirmative. Later on in the chapter he details the day of most Christ-followers as such; prayer and quiet time in the morning, encouraging emails to and from other Christians, Bible study and church activities, fellowship with other believers and then bed. The next day is a repeat of the same. Every Christian can agree that evangelism is important, where they disagree is in understanding we are all called to this task.

You will not find in any of Christ's teachings the following qualifiers

• if your gifts are such
• if you don't fear rejection
• if you feel totally comfortable
• if you have no uncertainty

....then you can share my love.

I am looking forward to all the ways this hop across the street will allow me to further share His love. I know He has many plans for me and I am eager to see where they lead.

Hopping for Christ,

jené