I've Not the Time Nor the... Wait, I do Have the Means

I walked out of the doctor's office today and got into my car only to hear a tapping at the window. I looked, and there stood a lady wearing a tattered leather jacket holding an equally tattered piece of paper. I rolled down the window and accepted the paper, which basically said that she was deaf and collecting spare change. I'd already rolled my window down, so I couldn't just roll it back up and take off... I reached into me wallet and gave her two quarters. I wouldn't have driven off anyway... If I'd wanted to I would have done so before she handed me the paper. What struck me about this was the look in her eyes. I saw a measure of pain in her eyes that I don't usually see in people that are asking me for money. That struck me as odd. Thinking about it as I drove off, I wondered what it was that she really needed. Then I realized that I knew what she needed, it's the same thing everybody needs. She needed someone to take a few minutes out of their day and show her a little bit of the love and acceptance that God has shown them. Then I thought "How, Lord? I've not the time!" Honestly though, she looked like she was in a hurry and therefore would not have been able to let me spend even the smallest amount of time with her anyway. I became utterly convicted today that we've told God we're too busy to be like Christ. We spend our entire lives living for the next moment that we don't realize the people around us who can't even guarantee their next moment. When you really think about it, none of us can. But what are we going to do with the moment we've already been given? That's the question. We as Christians have the power to change the world one person at a time. Not by preaching, not by teaching, not by prophecy, speaking in tongues, "evangelizing", judging, condemning, hating, criticizing, or even praying, but by being a friend. Sometimes that involves most of the things on that list... but far too often one of those things becomes our end goal. Our end goal is people... God's people... We need to remember that everyday, not just when we catch a glimpse of pain in somebody's eyes.