Sometimes we don’t realize God is doing anything until much later. Thankfully, it's not our job to know the future. Our job is to be obedient and let God handle the rest.
Back in the nineties, my husband and I ran the Youth Group at our church.
I think back to some of the stuff we did with them and I cringe. Some of our
activities weren’t that spiritual and we basically blundered along just doing
the best we knew how. Several years later, we were at a conference for pastors in
Banff. We were surprised to meet up with a young man who had been in our youth
group almost ten years earlier. He came from a particularly troubled
background, and we doubted at the time that he was even getting anything out of
YG. However, there he was at the conference, thanking us. He said our
unconditional acceptance was what brought him to Christ and ultimately led him
into ministry.
I know you’ve had experiences like this, too. Often
it’s the seemingly unimportant things that have the biggest impact. All our
planning cannot take the place of God appointed opportunities.
It’s a philosophy I use in my capacity as a writer.
I have no idea who may pick up one of my books and be touched by something I’ve
written. I’ve been privileged to hear feedback from readers expressing
gratitude when a certain element of one of my stories impacted them. However, we won’t always know the outcome of every deed we’ve
done or word we’ve spoken. Unlike my first example about the young man from our
youth group, we may never know all the people we have influenced in this life,
be it for harm or for good.
Reflection:
Have you had an experience where someone has unexpectedly expressed their gratitude for an act of kindness or other service?
This is a short excerpt from a devotional I am preparing for publication called
LIFE IS A HIGHWAY: Advice and Reflections On Navigating the Road of Life
Tracy Krauss works as a secondary school teacher of Drama, Art and English in Tumbler Ridge, BC. In her 'spare' time she writes romantic suspense novels and stage plays. Visit her website or her blog for more.
I'm always humbled by the kind remarks of others. I often say that the power of the pen is eternal, because, you're right, we never know who we touch through our words.
ReplyDeletethis is very true Dayle. Thanks for commenting
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