Thursday, January 10, 2008

Text Message From God: Part 2

I recently had a conversation with a good friend of mine that has continued to play over and over again in my mind. The conversation we had inspired this "mini series" but more than that challenged me in my own faith. With her permission, I'd like to share a bit of the conversation with you. She was telling me about a text message she received one night on her phone. Thinking she was about to tell me a funny story, the conversation took an unexpected twist.

The text message she received was from a number she didn’t recognize. The text included some very personal information which was clearly meant to be read by someone other than my friend. The message, as she soon found out, was from a young junior high girl. What the message said pails in comparison to how my friend responded.

What would you do if you received a text filled with personal information from someone you didn't know?
Ignore it knowing that it was obviously not directed to you?
Respond back, “You have the wrong number.”
or…
Respond back like this…“You know, there's a guy who loves you unconditionally for who you are."


Do I think my friend received this text by accident or mere chance? No way! Certainly not by the conversation that soon followed.

The conversation continued as my friend shared about this incredible guy she knew who loved unconditionally. She had struck a cord with this young girl who was now intrigued and wanting to know this guy’s number so that she could get a hold of him. As my friend continued to share with the girl that this perfect guy was God, a shocked response came back over the phone, “Why would you share with a stranger that someone loves them? No one has ever told me that before.”

Wow!

Okay, so I live in a small yet extremely “religious” community as it’s been dubbed. People have seemingly come to the assumption that “everybody’s heard about God.” We assume that everyone’s already heard at least a hundred different times and ways what I have to share, so what’s the point of sharing it? They already know!

This girl that texted my friend is from the same religious community that I’m from and nobody has every really taken the time to show & explain to her God's unconditional love?!

The conversation continued only a little while longer, resulting in the two girls planning to get together in person. So…last week, my friend took the opportunity to meet with this young girl face to face to build a friendship with her and show her love she’s never experienced. The results? Not only was my friend able to share her personal story with this girl, but she was also asked to go with her to her house and share the same thing with her family! The results? That night, because of my friend’s obedience and because she recognized the “miss-sent” text as an opportunity, a family sat blown away that a stranger would care for them enough to come and share with them about a God who loves them unconditionally!

And while I’m so incredibly proud of my friend, I don’t share this story with you to let you know how amazing she is. In fact, she would be the first to tell you that she is far from having this thing called “being a Christ-Follower” figured out. But I do share this story with you to say, are you letting opportunities to simply love others pass you by? Am I letting these opportunities slip away, passing them off as "miss-sent"?

As soon as she told me this story, I was reminded of Esther in the Old Testament, a story I’m sure many of us grew up hearing. The powerful statement made was one many of you probably know, “for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14).

What if we truly took to heart that we have been placed where we are with the people we’re with “for such a time as this?” What if I realized that the Jesus I reflect to others may be the only Jesus they ever see?

Maybe you’re thinking, “What are the chances that something like that would ever happen to me?” The point isn’t how this opportunity came about…the point is, are we living with expectancy for these God-given moments? Will we recognize it when it comes our way or simply ignore it & continue with life as usual?

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