Growth

Be Available

When I was little, my grandparents called me “Lucy” – as in the Lucy from Charlie Brown.  It’s a long story how I got that name, but it stuck. At some point I even had a picture hanging on my door of my namesake behind her famous makeshift desk with a sign that would read “The Doctor is In” or “The Doctor is Out” depending on her presence and her temperament. It was a sign that indicated her willingness to listen to her “client’s” concerns.

Several months ago, I was rushing to my car to get to the next thing on “my” agenda, and I ran into a former student. As I quickly said my “hello”, I tried to speed the conversation along so that I could could get to where I needed to go. I still remember the pain of conviction I felt afterwards when I realized that I hadn’t really listened to or inquired about how my student was doing; I was so focused on what I had going on, that I hadn’t made myself available to her.

It’s a common predicament in a chaotic world. We have so much going on that it’s hard to stop and see anything besides our next appointment. However, as a book that I’m reading reminded me, it’s important to start each day making ourselves available to God. When someone wants to schedule a meeting with me, the first thing I do is look at my calendar and see what time isn’t already committed. However,  all my time needs to be committed to Him. So if the schedule must change, or I must be delayed in order to accomplish what He wants, then I must be willing to do that. To God, my calendar must always read “available.”

In Charlie Brown, Lucy would sometimes impulsively flip her “in” sign over so that she didn’t have to deal with a feckless patient.  It’s a natural response that we all feel when we don’t want to deal with yet another person’s “stuff.” Too often I find myself asking God to use me, and then wanting to respond as Lucy did when He actually does. Instead, may I start my day telling Him that I’m “in” and than eagerly anticipate the people He’s going to bring for me to minister to.  May I be available to Him, and in so doing, be available to those He loves.

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Purpose

Privileged: Blessed to be a Blessing

A friend once passed on some wisdom that was passed on to him:

“You were blessed to be a blessing.”

In other words, when we receive blessing, it is our job to pour out that blessing upon others.  As my friend described it, we were to see ourselves as a conduit for blessing those around us. God was gracious and generous to us, so that we in turn could be gracious to others.

It’s a Scriptural principle. The early followers of Christ were intent on “passing on” the truth that had been given to them (I Corinthians 15:3). They saw the possessions that they had been given as instruments of generosity to be shared with others (Acts 4:32-35). Jesus Himself told His disciples that others would recognize them as His followers based on how they loved each other. And what would prompt their love for one another – His love that He had first given them (John 13:34-35).

The saying, however, is true in another way as well.  Not only were we given good things in order to pass them on to others, but when Christ uses us to pass on His good gifts, that in itself if a blessing. In other words, we are blessed when we are a blessing. It is a privilege to be used in order to demonstrate Christ’s love and compassion to another.

Viewing service this way, changes your perspective on it. You no longer mind the late night phone calls, or the additional appointment at the end of an already busy day, because you realize that God is granting you favor by using you for His purposes. You realize that a lack of sleep is nothing in comparison to the gain in Heaven. You start recognizing all the benefits and experiences that God has given you, in order to equip you for this particular task. When faced with a difficult situation, your heart pleads “Lord, use this so that one day it might enable me to encourage or strengthen someone else,” rather than “Lord. please just end this!”

Not that I’m perfect at this. I still have days where I wonder how I’ll get things done. There are moments where I ponder whether I can really handle all the relationships and responsibilities that God has entrusted me with. But the more I see it as a privilege, the less I view it as a problem. The more I see it as a blessing, the more I realized how blessed I am.

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