“Oh My Gosh, there’s so many!”
Read Matthew 5:14-16
It was a lovely restaurant overlooking the Assateague Channel. The gulls swept playfully over the waters as vacationers experimented with techniques for maneuvering kayaks in tidal waters. As the sun lowered in the western sky, long shadows cast their way across the luscious swamp lands. The deck of the restaurant was awash with vibrant color from multiple varieties of potted plants that adorned the railings. It was a perfect setting in which to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Like years gone by, we looked forward to a quiet meal together, enjoying each other’s company and reminiscing about our lives together and the many ways God has blessed us. This anniversary would be different, however.
The waitress went about her task of serving us as she had probably done for others thousands of times before. “Good evening. My name is Nichole and I will be serving you tonight.” She dutifully announced the evenings’ specials, took our orders and left. My wife looked at me and said, “Are you going to…” “Yes” I interrupted. I knew exactly what she was going to say. It had only been a few weeks since I had heard Reggie McNeil challenge us to be God’s people of blessing in communities and we were both anxious to try his suggestion.
As Nichole returned with our salads and bread I turned to her and said: “We’re getting ready to ask God to bless our food. How may we ask God to bless you?” The words flowed just like I had done this all my life. I will never forget the look on Nichole’s face. She began to blush slightly as her eyes scanned the horizon, almost as if searching for an answer. “Oh my gosh,” she said, “There’s so many things!” I knew immediately that we had connected. “Well,” I replied, “Just give us the top one or two things and we’ll take them to God.”
As if she were just waiting for someone to ask or someone to care, Nichole began sharing a deep need concerning herself, her fiancée, his mom from California and an intricate legal battle. It was obvious this was a big burden for her. I thanked her and said we would pray for them.
Nichole was blown away with the fact that somebody cared enough to ask how they could pray for her. She returned to our table several times to thank us for praying. She spent even more time explaining the situation to us as we prepared to leave. She thanked us again as we left and gave us a big smile. “You guys are sweet. Thank you.”
My wife and I were thrilled. We have been blessed by God and we used an opportunity to bless another in His name. This wasn’t hard to do at all. In fact, it was fun. We felt like we were partners with God in making a difference in this world… in ONE LIFE in this world! After all, God died for Nichole as much as He died for you or me. How about you? Can you take the time to care enough to ask, “How may I ask God to bless you?” It will make a difference in someone’s life. I guarantee it.