I went to Lava Java this afternoon, a cute (but expensive) coffee shop/breakfast, lunch, & dinner restaurant. It's flooded with people, in & out, all day long. I came here today to get off of campus and just enjoy a couple of hours with just Jesus. I grabbed my double large caramel Machiatto, opened up my journal with my Bible close beside and just began to write. The wind was blowing, it was a bit cloudy, with the ocean in front of me and conversations surrounding me. I began to think about the cross, all that Jesus did for us. I saw all of these people, and my heart began to hurt. I am surrounded by the hurting, the broken, the rich & the poor, the hopeful & the hopeless. The ones that are full of life and then the ones that are dead inside. There are ones who are on vacation, getting away from the life they live back home, and some of them, this is their home. Others are in a transition period, and some even are stuck. The broken, the needy, the hungry, the searching, the empty... All I want is Jesus to come. I begin to feel a deep hunger inside of me for the hunger of these daughters & sons of God. Do they know Him? Do they even want to know Him? I want to help. I don't even want my fear to hold me back from a child being encouraged by Truth, or being awakened by love for the first time. No matter what the request, Lord prepare my heart to say "YES!" with everything in me.
As I sat there, journaling all thats going on inside of me, I prayed that the Lord would use me, in any way He wanted to. All of these thoughts kept running through my mind...
"Should I stand up and preach the gospel?"
"Should I just say 'God bless you'?"
"Should I smile really gentle at that woman?"
I didn't know what to do. I wanted my mind to silent, and for my spirit to take over. I've been practicing this living from the inside out, instead of the outside in (look at my previous blog). I look over at this family, and I feel the "yes" of the Lord. "Now what?" I think.... "Write a letter." "A letter Jesus? What would I even say? I don't even know if they know you, and that would change the whole thing." "It doesn't matter... I will write the words. Write them a letter of encouragement and blessing." I tear a piece of paper out of my journal, pull my Bible a little closer, look at the family, and my heart sinks into the pit of my stomach. Something is happening inside of me, I begin trembling, and the Love of the Father over this family hits me. I begin to feel the impact of the cross, just a bit of it, for this husband & wife and their 2 sons. They are probably just on vacation and don't expect anything from anyone, they might even be hoping nobody talks to them... Welp, they are in for a treat, haha. I begin to write. The Lord gives me words. Blessing & Encouragement, Blessing & Encouragement, Blessing & Encouragement. I fold up the letter, I walk over, I explain a little bit that I felt I was suppose to bless & encourage them... their faces look up with surprise, but their eyes glaze over with a peace they didn't have before... and I left.
I don't know what happened with them after wards. They may have been super encouraged and shared the letter with the whole table. They may have been weirded out. Whatever the case is, a seed was planted, and that's all I was called to do, now the Holy Spirit waters it.
It doesn't matter what the Lord asks us to do. What matters is that we obey. We have the opportunity to bless the mess out of the people in this world who are hungry for Truth & Love - because most of them haven't seen it for what it truly is. As children who believe in Jesus & desire to desire what He desires, and who are followers of Him, immitators of Him... We are called to obey, no matter what it looks like. If it's HUGE, we obey. If it's tiny tiny tiny, we obey. It doesn't matter to the Father what the task is, when we obey Him He is moved & pleased and pours out even more.
"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much." - Luke 16:10.
As I sat there, journaling all thats going on inside of me, I prayed that the Lord would use me, in any way He wanted to. All of these thoughts kept running through my mind...
"Should I stand up and preach the gospel?"
"Should I just say 'God bless you'?"
"Should I smile really gentle at that woman?"
I didn't know what to do. I wanted my mind to silent, and for my spirit to take over. I've been practicing this living from the inside out, instead of the outside in (look at my previous blog). I look over at this family, and I feel the "yes" of the Lord. "Now what?" I think.... "Write a letter." "A letter Jesus? What would I even say? I don't even know if they know you, and that would change the whole thing." "It doesn't matter... I will write the words. Write them a letter of encouragement and blessing." I tear a piece of paper out of my journal, pull my Bible a little closer, look at the family, and my heart sinks into the pit of my stomach. Something is happening inside of me, I begin trembling, and the Love of the Father over this family hits me. I begin to feel the impact of the cross, just a bit of it, for this husband & wife and their 2 sons. They are probably just on vacation and don't expect anything from anyone, they might even be hoping nobody talks to them... Welp, they are in for a treat, haha. I begin to write. The Lord gives me words. Blessing & Encouragement, Blessing & Encouragement, Blessing & Encouragement. I fold up the letter, I walk over, I explain a little bit that I felt I was suppose to bless & encourage them... their faces look up with surprise, but their eyes glaze over with a peace they didn't have before... and I left.
I don't know what happened with them after wards. They may have been super encouraged and shared the letter with the whole table. They may have been weirded out. Whatever the case is, a seed was planted, and that's all I was called to do, now the Holy Spirit waters it.
It doesn't matter what the Lord asks us to do. What matters is that we obey. We have the opportunity to bless the mess out of the people in this world who are hungry for Truth & Love - because most of them haven't seen it for what it truly is. As children who believe in Jesus & desire to desire what He desires, and who are followers of Him, immitators of Him... We are called to obey, no matter what it looks like. If it's HUGE, we obey. If it's tiny tiny tiny, we obey. It doesn't matter to the Father what the task is, when we obey Him He is moved & pleased and pours out even more.
"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much." - Luke 16:10.
Lizzie,
ReplyDeleteI know it is May 9th, Israel Independence day,but it is the first time I read this blog.
I love it. I love how God plans people's days to make sure their paths cross.
From the hour you woke up, to the time it took you to shower and dress, to the interruptions that slowed you down to get to the coffee shop at that time. Then think about the people at that table and all that God did to get them there at that precise time.
Of course it would not have worked without an obedient servant like you.
I love you.
Dad