Meeting People Where They Are

I have this friend, Lynette, a teeny, tiny, lovely sweet lady who loves delicate things and the quiet, simple beauty of this life. Looking at her tiny frame and sweet smile, you would have no idea, but my Lynette is a prayer warrior.

This morning, we joined with some other praying mama friends of mine to do a prayer walk around one of our local communities. We praised, thanked, confessed, and interceded in prayer to our Father as the gentle breezes blew and the sun shown on our faces. We stopped to talk with the sweet ladies planting beautiful flowers along the way. And, off we went to pray some more...quietly and without fan fare.

No one would have even known that's what we were doing...

I love that. I love how a really big God would choose to work through the one you would least suspect. I love how He chooses the chief among sinners to become a new creation. Love how He brings hope out of the most hopeless of circumstances. I love how He chooses one plagued with stage fright to stand in front of a group of people and sing His praises. I love how He chooses the weak to show His strength and might. Love how He chooses the uneducated to display His wisdom. I love how He chooses a sweet, quiet, little woman to be one of my dearest friends and one of the mightiest prayer warriors I know. Incidentally, one of the other of the mightiest prayer warriors I know is an elderly lady, nearly blind, but sharp as a whip, and quite adept at scripture memorization. She has prayed nearly all of her loved ones into the saving knowledge of Jesus...one by one. Every battle fought for their souls on her feeble, yet mighty, knees. No doubt, she will be praying until her dying breath.

I love how the Lord works, and often marvel at the unlikeliness of it all. Oh how I treasure a good underdog story. (Perhaps that's why I endure the agony of being a Cleveland Browns fan.) And, I think our heavenly Father appreciates a good underdog story as well. After all, it's the story He tells over and over again in the lives of His people.

As we prayed today, and in conversations with a few dear friends, God has been impressing another truth into my heart. He's actually been working on this for awhile...

You have to walk with a person, connect with them, meet them where they are before they will want to hear anything you have to say.

One of the greatest blessings of my life has been to watch my husband as God develops that gift in him. He meets people where they are...talking with them about work, helping them with a project, listening about their ideas, their golf game, talking about guitar...whatever relates to the other person. It isn't a put-on or an act. That's just him. He stops and genuinely cares about what the other person is sharing at that moment. That may be the extent of the conversation...or it may turn into something deeper. But, it's always in a comfortable, easy way. He isn't perfect or flowery in his delivery...but he is always genuine. He has the gift of meeting people where they are.

Showing the love of Jesus is something we do in our everyday lives...as we walk along the way, as we sit down, and rise up. It is part of who we are, just an easy, light smile on our face, joy in our eyes and kind, willing heart to listen and share...to laugh, weep with, or hug. It doesn't need to be some grand display, and often that turns others away. Just be who you are and meet people where they are. God is faithful and able to do the rest. You know I'm not a fan of sayings, but this one sums it up:

Preach the gospel always...and when necessary use words.

Living it speaks so much louder than words ever could.

* I wrote this before reading Kelly's Korner for today. Thought it kind of fit with the subject, so I linked up. Click here to share your Random Acts of Kindness ideas.