When we bring God’s kindness in practical ways, we imitate Jesus, and the same effects follow us.
The question I posed to her was simple enough but she didn’t seem capable of a response.
“Have you gotten your seeds yet? I have flowers and veggies. Which would you prefer?” When doing servant evangelism I prefer to say enough to engage people — maybe surprise them a bit — then let them ask me questions. After they are served people generally have a question or two.
The lady on the other side of the screen door was older — she looked like someone on the north side of 90 years. She said she wasn’t able to plant anything that Spring because life was making it too difficult to function well. I asked if I could pray a blessing on her life. She was up for that. Naturally, I asked if there was anything, in particular, I could pray for her.
“I was blessed with two boys. This week they each passed away — both from cancer.” Later a friend who worked at the town’s hospital knew the story and confirmed what she’d told me.
Instead of taking the seeds and without opening her outside door, she simply placed her palm on the screen.
I prayed. She wept.
Was I able to bring utter comfort? Was she healed of her broken heart? Did she “come to the Lord”? Perhaps one or more of those did happen, or perhaps not. My desire to see something spiritually significant happens is great, but if nothing clearly happened that’s okay too. I can’t force a spiritual result in my own life, much less anyone else’s. Results are in God’s hands. The good news is though I am limited, God moving through me and you, is not limited in the least.
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What he did we can as well.
When scripture refers to Jesus as the “son of God” the emphasis is upon his divinity. When another scripture refers to him as the “son of man” then they are talking about his humanity. Jesus promised that what he did we will do, and even greater things. There are different views on what just what was meant by those great things.
When we began to experiment with ways of serving others we didn’t know what we could do to bridge from the “us” to the “them” — the already-Believers going into the heart of the not-yet-Believers.
Something that’s fun.
I can’t imagine a version of the early disciples and the new Church they were building — it’s tough to imagine that though they had it rough — many even died a martyr’s death. At the same time, there was a sense of enjoyment individually and as a group. They had at least some fun. How can we know that? Because all humans are geared to the degree that they are healed and whole, to enjoy life, not to merely suffer through it.
Something that’s appealing so people will want to continue on with it going forward.
They will begin to see it as normal to do the actual works of Jesus as a lifestyle.
Something we can do in groups since there are more safety and fun in groups.
Something worth giving ourselves heart and soul — to be fully dedicated to the task at hand — something that would make a difference. These goals are wrapped up in a single word:
Doable
