Making a difference

This week in church, our pastor challenged us to try to make a difference in the community. I kept thinking, "well, duh... how can anyone have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ without making a difference? How can I go about 'business as usual', knowing that I have been given an incredible gift, without sharing it with others. How can I be loved so much, without showing that same love and compassion with everyone I meet?"

I don't want to sound like I am perfect; I struggle day to day with temptations and frustrations, just like everyone else, but knowing that God is with me every step of the way sure makes the difficulties easier to bear, and easier to work through.

To illustrate, let me share an incredible experience I had this week. I was at work, and I got a phone call from a patient that I had several months ago. She started with a question about nutrition and leg cramps, but I could sense that this was not the real reason for the call. After we chatted for a few minutes, and I answered her "health" questions as best I could, she got to the real point of the call: her family was in trouble, and she needed spiritual support.

While she did not know that I write books on abuse and emotional healing, she did know that I am a Christian. Not because I go around preaching and judging everyone, but because I feel a need to connect with my patients, to see to their hearts' needs, and I offer to pray and support each of them in a personal way to the best of my ability (with God's help). As my former patient explained her situation, she began to cry and told me that she knew I prayed and she just needed someone to pray for her family. I prayed with her on the phone and also have been praying for her family with the small group that meets together every morning at work. I know God has a plan to help her family through this situation.

I am thankful that God can use me to be a help to others. By being kind, by listening for even a few minutes, by building trust in my relationship with others, I am allowing God to use me to reach others in a tangible way. I don't have to be a preacher or an evangelist to share the love of God with others. All I have to do is follow His leading, to take a few minutes in my busy day to say a kind word, or more importantly, to be there for someone else that needs a listening ear. What an honor that God lets us be a part of healing the ills of our world!

Awesome Kids

I am fortunate enough to be a teacher of 7 to 9 year olds in my church. They are so fun and energetic! As a soon to be empty-nester, I am more and more excited each week to spend time with these great kids!

Last week, we started a new project: We are reading "The Case for Christ for Kids" by Lee Strobel. As I have been reading mostly apologetics books lately (books on why we can believe that God and the Bible are true and trustworthy), I thought it might be appropriate to share these ideas with my kids.

I was a little hesitant at first. Would the kids even be interested? We all sat in a circle in the back of the room, and I began reading. I asked the kids if they ever wondered if God was real. I was not prepared for the dialogue to come. One girl said, "We think that the Bible is right, and that God is real. But other people believe in different things, and they all think their way is the right way. We can't all be right. How do we know who is really right?" Another child spoke up, "I was thinking about that this week when I was riding my bike. I wondered if Jesus was real, or if He was just like the other stuff we read or watch on t.v."

As the conversation went on, I found that every single child in the class had been wondering about whether God was real or make-believe. I asked them if they ever asked their parents, and most of them said, "No." They were worried that the questions would upset their parents.

I am looking forward to our ongoing conversations over the next few weeks. I think that even the adult helpers in the class have similar questions. I am so thankful that there are real answers to these questions and that we don't have to believe by "blind faith", but that Jesus left us with some very compelling evidence to support the Bible claims of creation, of Jesus death and resurrection, and of a redeemed life for those who believe. Pray with me that these children will learn to trust in the God that loves them more than they will ever know.