Needless to say, I went to bed in not the best of moods. Not for any particular reason, just really not looking forward to Thursday.
Kyle had just had two very long days teaching pastors.
I had just had two very long days cooking for the pastors.
Abby is at camp and I miss her.
Laundry was calling.
Kyle and Emily would be gone all day at the game park.
It is supposed to be REALLY hot.
Someone was coming to the house at 7am (they are from out-of-town) to buy my wicker chair.
Kyle’s alarm went off at 4:45am, he and Emily quietly slipped off to the game park . . . and I couldn’t fall back asleep.
Definitely not any smilies on my face when i finally dragged myself out of bed and got ready to meet a stranger at my gate.
6:45am- my cell phone rang. They were early and at my gate. Ok, maybe my face was tipping into a frown.
I walked out to the gate to be greeted by a bubbly women probably my age that instantly greeted Natalie, guessed her age and started sharing about her boys. We chatted casually as we walked to the house to look at the chair. I mentioned my oldest was at church camp. Her eyes lit up and she shared how her nephew had just given his life to the Lord at a camp and is now on fire for God.
She decided to take the chair.
We slowly walked back to the gate. She was all smiles talking about the Christmas season and way they’ve tried to focus on Christ as a family. I mentioned a book I was reading, shared a story from it and we both laughed. Her laugh was so genuine.
As we said goodbye and they pulled out of the drive, I couldn’t help but notice that now I was smiling. That 5 minute encounter with a lady whose name I don’t even know lifted my spirits, pointed by morning towards Christ, and has kept a smile on my face all day. (We are many hours ahead in our day for all of you reading this in America.)
I couldn’t help but ask myself, “Do I uplift people in such short encounters? In 5 minutes, can I point people to Christ? Do people leave an interaction with me in smiles?”
Great questions to ponder . . . . with a smile on my face!
By the way, I’m really enjoying the book mentioned above.
“How to Raise Selfless Kids in a Self-Centered World” by Dave Stone
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