DEVOTIONAL | SHANNON MILLER.
I didn’t think the holiday season could get all that busy, in a year when I have no Christmas parties, music performances, office potlucks, or in-person shopping taking up my time. But this week I felt the pace quickening, to check gifts off my list, to put up decorations, to reach out to friends I haven’t heard from in a while, and – oh yes there is car maintenance and calling the plumber…
You can imagine the feeling of tension when I went out for a ten minute walk, and was waylaid for half an hour by a conversation with a neighbor. As my mind rushed ahead to all the things I needed to do, my heart gradually turned its attention to the person sharing his troubles with me, and I wondered if anyone had listened to him – really listened – that day, or that week. So even as my to-do list nagged me from a back corner, I paused and truly listened. I asked the Lord what I could say to encourage my neighbor. I quoted a couple of verses to gently advise him, and told him that I would be praying for him – that last statement seemed to touch his heart. There was no immediate spiritual fruit from the encounter, and I had to work late to make up for the time. But I knew I had done something right.
As writer David Mathis put it, “There will be days when the most important ministry we do is square our shoulders to some hurting person, uncross our arms, lean forward, make eye contact, and hear their pain all the way to the bottom.” And how do I make myself available for and present in those moments? I think it starts with humility. Let me explain…
“Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do, yet fails to do it, is guilty of sin,” (James 4:17, BSB). The word “then” (or therefore, or so) at the beginning of the verse links this advice to the previous point, a warning not to boast about plans for the future. At first glance the two thoughts don’t seem related, but viewing it through the lens of this week’s experience, I see a connection. In all my planning, my first priority should be obedience. And when I see an opportunity to do good that interrupts my agenda, I commit the sin of pride if I don’t take it – if I don’t set aside my plan and follow the one God is revealing. I must humble myself in order to do the good works He has lined up for me (Ephesians 2:10).
Would you pray this with me? Lord, don’t let me rush past Your appointments. Don’t let me cherish my crew and my comforts so much that I can’t freely give my time to a stranger You’ve known since You formed them in the womb. Keep me from exalting the idea of preserving my peace over that of living out Your love. Help me to “let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law,” (Romans 13:8, NIV).
Recent Comments