Perception - What Do You See?

I know it's Friday and many of you have had a long week. Even though you are feeling the joy of knowing that the weekend officially begins in T-minus (???), today may not be the best day for interruptions.

Maybe I can help.

That person who keeps sending you emails could be the person that God has placed in your path to reach.

The phone call that you keep ignoring might be opportunity calling.

That thing you dread may turn out to be the greatest blessing you have ever received.

The point that I'm trying to make is that we cannot live with our focus on the things we see. No - we must learn to see things through the eyes of faith.

I wonder how many opportunities I have missed in life because I chose to see them through my physical eyes rather than the eyes of faith. Who was the person I ignored, the conversation that I didn't have, or the person I didn't reach out to help? Could I have missed Jesus in the busyness of life? Did I miss an opportunity to host an angel? You know the Bible teaches us to entertain strangers because many have entertained angels unaware.

Is today not the best day to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, and visit the afflicted? Can I (even on a Friday) choose to see things from a different perspective? The next conversation I have may just help someone come to know Jesus Christ. The next meal I give could be the one that brings God's light into the life of someone else. The next word of encouragement I share could be the words that keep someone from doing the unthinkable.

The truth of the matter is that none of us know where our path may lead us today. Sure, we got up, got ready, and went to work (or did our normal routine); however, God may interrupt our routine. Can we give Him that opportunity?

So much of the Christian life is an opportunity to respond to the circumstances we encounter. It's living a life so dependent upon the Spirit of God for direction that we trust in His leadership, His empowering, and His ability.

A couple of years ago I was heading to Wednesday night prayer meeting with our Worship Leader. We jumped on the interstate headed for "church" when suddenly traffic stopped in front of us. The first response for most of us is to be frustrated that we are stopped in our agenda. However, as we got closer to the car in front of us we noticed that there was a vehicle flipped over on the side of the interstate. I watched a man struggle to get out of his vehicle and decided that I needed to do whatever I could to help. The man came around to the passenger side to help his wife out of the vehicle while others of us who had stopped tried to help get a child and a baby out of the back.

I will never forget the horror of seeing an infant hanging upside down in a car seat unresponsive. Thankfully a first responder was among the crowd and he knew the best method of getting the baby out of the seat and into the arms of her father. She began to cry once they got her out (for which I was thankful!) but there was a nasty bump on her head. Once the paramedics arrived they decided to bring in a helicopter to fly the baby to Roanoke hospital. I remember standing there feeling so helpless watching this man hold his crying baby. I simply leaned over and told him that I was a pastor in the area and asked if I could pray with them. He said, "YES, PLEASE!"

I don't know what ultimately happened to the child or the family for that matter. What I do know is this: I thought I was to go to prayer meeting that night but God has me leading prayer in the middle of I-81.

What we see with our physical eyes may not be the reality. We must learn to perceive things through the power of the Holy Spirit. Then, and only then, are we able to respond with the grace of God.

Think: You may have a Divine appointment today. Don't miss it!