:: in.a.mirror.dimly ::

I had a pile of Christmas cards, thank you notes, and a literary agreement bundled up for the post office this morning. I forgot to swing by the office in my hometown, so I dropped in at another one in the next town over on my way to the cafe this morning. I ended up receiving a stark reality check.

I’ve been thinking about chapter ideas for my next book and spending a bit of time in worship this morning, but when I arrived at the post office I overheard one clerk say to the other, “He’s on the phone with the hospital because he has chest pains.” I saw the post master walking to the back room with the phone to his ear. The clerk in front of me told me all I needed to know through her eyes that bore the marks of terror, pain, and heart-ache.

I had a really brief transaction, so I got out of her way but then realized I had a moment to pray. In fact, God brought me to that spot at that time to pray. I was so grateful that God wanted to use me to pray for his kingdom to come to this man, asking for safety and healing.

It’s so incredibly easy to ignore these moments when I’m wrapped up in my goals and plans. Just stopping to pray for this man made me realize that while God may have plans for my career, that’s no excuse to ignore the needs I see every day. And just taking that time to pray made me realize I was doing the most important thing in the world at that moment–praying for God’s loving touch on another person. I’m shocked by how stingy I can be with blessings.

On days like today I realize my default orientation is insular and self-serving. God is pushing his people outward, sending us out of our protective inner circles to those who are broken and in need. I pray that we can continue to take these steps each day.