Do you see that woman over there? She’s the one that shines Jesus. She’s the one you’d pick, if you were God.
But what about you?
What does God have in mind for you?
That’s a question I once asked. I remember kneeling at an altar at the front of the church. Most everybody had left, and tears splashed the altar.
Show me, God. Show me what you want from me.
When I stood, I saw two children sitting behind me. A little girl with long blond hair. Her brother, just barely in his teens but far more experienced with life than he should be.
“Hey kiddos,” I said, wiping away tears.
Lord, maybe we can pick up this conversation later.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Can you take me home?” the teen asked.
“Are you hungry?”
I already knew the answer. Dad was in jail. Mom addicted. There was a good chance that these children, who came in on the church bus, hadn’t eaten all day, maybe all weekend depending on mom’s condition.
“Can we have a cheeseburger?” the little one asked.
“And a shake?” her brother said.
As I took the five-year-old by the hand, her brother walked ahead.
Suddenly my answer came clear.
This is what I want you to do.
Rather than a big five-year-plan or a spectacular dream, God wanted me to fill the tummies of these beautiful children.
And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Mark 16:15 NLT
When we begin to walk closely with our Heavenly Father, His heartbeat slowly transfers to ours. It’s that feeling you feel. That longing to do something more. That desire to make a difference, to tell others about Jesus, to share the news that God is big and He changes us.
But are we listening, or are we super focused on the five-year plan? You know, the BIG plan.
The first step in any of those plans is to be faithful daily, listen to His voice, and respond right where we are.
Years later I heard from the grown-up man who is now a young father. When he sent the Facebook message, he said, “A few years later, I saw your picture in the newspaper. I cut it out and put it on my refrigerator. My sister and I loved you because you showed us Jesus.”
That picture was in the paper because my first book was published. It pales in consideration of his words.
Lord, what if I had missed the significance of those small acts?
As you walk closely with God, it will lead you out of your comfort zone in a hundred different ways.
But it will also show you possibilities right where you are.
He’s chosen you to love those on His heart.
Who will that be?
Suzie
Just you and God
Turn it all of for the next ten minutes. Your phone. The TV. Your computer. Sit quietly in His presence and ask Him to show you one person on His heart who is in your path.
That might be your child. Your spouse. A neighbor. Your mom. A stranger.
Q: What do you feel God leading you to do?
It might be as simple as a phone call or a note, a dinner, a hug, a word of affirmation. It might be sacrificial like paying for dinner, or camp, or giving time when time is hard to find.
Q: Describe a time that someone showed you Jesus when you least expected it.
Q: Read Luke 16:10. What takes place when we are faithful in the small things?
Thanks Suzie. Each day as a case manager nurse, I seek to be kind. I seek to be the arms of Jesus. I was afraid to pray with people in the beginning but now I reach out and I ask a simple question? Do you have faith? Then I ask may I pray for you. Yesterday I prayed for a man on his way to surgery. A song that says it all. “I Surrender All” I surrender my five year plan to be who God wants me to be. The best part is I am loved. I do feel led to write. I will be a table b leader in the fall for an in-depth study of Victory Over Darkness. I think the b person I am to love is my husband. We have struggled the last two years because of having given up our home to move to take care of his mother. I have often felt that I signed my life away. His mom is vision impaired. She is critical. She is now suffering with her choice to snake because her lungs are bad. She iso now on oxygen. So I think the other person to love is her. On a good day this is not hard but on a bad day I want to run away. So Suzie i surrender to Jesus. Blessings Diana
Suzie this is so true! So often we are caught up in our plans that we miss what’s right in front of us. I feel this is what The Lord is reminding me of lately. To simply be present with an awareness of Him and what He is doing all around me. It makes the future clearer.
Thanks for this.
Lorie
Dear Suzie,
The phrase “start where you are” touched me today.
I have written in the comments section of your blog before. Last August (almost exactly one year ago!) I began the incredibly difficult process of getting my 15 year old daughter, my 12 year old son, and myself out of an abusive marriage.
One year later, I am divorced, and 3 months ago, bought my first house. My husband and I lived in a house, but he owned it, not me. The house I just bought is in need of much repair and looks pretty shabby at the moment, but the phrase “start where you are” is what I need to remember.
I will paint each room, one by one. I will cut back the overgrown shrubs. I will have the plumbing issues repaired. I will end up with not just a pretty house, but a true home. Starting where I am.
In a house that I am free to show love to my children in, to nurture their souls, to allow them to live free and without fear in. They have already settled into the space, with no complaints whatsoever about how all our tag sale and side of the road furniture looks.
Right where I am is a lucky place to be. With all the stresses, pressure of bills and repairs, and the fears of judgments I struggle with. It’s all secondary to going to sleep at night, and waking up in the morning, free of fear, and confidant that my children get to do that too.
Your blog has touched me so many times over the past year. If you ever feel doubt, please know. You’re right where you should be, and you help many women start to lead a better life, from right where they are.
So glad to be part if this group. This message has inspired me so much,I learn everyday. Thanks so much.
Dear Suzie. I love receiving and reading your inspirational messages. I am now retired, but for the last 14 years I worked in an IT Call Center helping people resolve their computer problems. Probably over those years I have responded to over 100,000 calls for help. I was amazed at the number of times when I knew that the person who was calling had more than a computer problem. I would ask them if there was anything else they needed and when they said no, I prodded again. Sometimes it took 3 or 4 tries before they would say yes there is something else. In some cases it was an upcoming divorce, maybe a husband that gambled and lost thousands of dollars or difficult children or perhaps they were afraid of loosing their jobs. One caller said that if I couldn’t recover her document she would kill herself. Whatever it was, God placed those people in my path. I’m glad I was able to hear His voice and help them through a difficult time in their life.
Keep up the good work Suzie. Helmut
Thank you for sharing your heart! This was just what I needed today!