A Test of Obedience
My husband and I recently had our old vehicle up for sale. We had a lot of interest because it was a good vehicle and for a very reasonable price. A man from quite a fair distance away had been emailing us, asking if we would be willing to drive it 8 hours to him for extra cash. Well, lets just say I am not that desperate for a little extra money! So, he decided to take a bus to us. Crazy! He really wanted that van!
So, to make a long story short (or to attempt to, anyway) he had "missed" one of his buses, was delayed, called me 5 hours passed the pre arranged time, and, and, and...we couldn't wait for this deal to just be over! So, while standing at the insurance office with him, he was having trouble getting insurance and it was going to cost him quite a bit. He started asking us if there was a pawn shop near by. I really felt it on my heart to give him some money. And, after quietly whispering my intent to my husband, we handed him a $100 bill.
After we left him, my husband told me more of the story that I had missed on their drive over (we were in seperate vehicles). The guy had been taken into the jail the night before (he said the police were "giving him a place to sleep for the night" and that they "thought he was drunk, but he was completely sober"), which is the reason he had been late for our meeting. After he had left the insurance office, the lady that was helping us told my husband that she could smell alcohol on the man. Oh...great...we just sent a man who had been drinking in a vehicle out into the night, AND gave him money. He was obviously quite trouble, which was easy to see even in the small amount of time we had been given with him.
So, then the questioning came in. Did we really just do the right thing? Did this man deserve what had just been done for him? Hmmm...
Ok, so did I just stop at that? Come on, if you're reading this I think you know me better than that! Of course, I analyze everything to death! I learned a couple of lessons from this. One: none of us deserve the second, third, fourth chance that God freely gives us. Two: it is not up to me to determine whether or not someone is in need of help, nor judge what they will do with the help that is given. And, third and most important, I just need to obey!
When God places something on your heart, you can't question him. There is always a bigger picture. Perhaps we sowed a seed into that man's life that may get choked out by weeds, or possibly sowed seed that one day will be harvested thirty, sixty, even one hundred fold. Yes, we sowed a seed into our children's hearts by allowing them to see us help someone. I believe we sowed a seed into atleast one of the insurance brokers (whom later revealed to us that her husband worked with mine). But, here is what I believe this lesson was really for: me. Not to say it wasn't for everyone else involved as well. But, I kearned that God wants me to obey Him when He says to do something. We were called to help the broken, not ask why. I learned that I must obey Him without doubt each time He calls because He may just be training me for a BIGGER act of obedience. If I can't obey him with smaller tasks that may seem meaningless to me, then what will I do when it really matters. And, how could I possibly know what will really matter in the end?
So, to make a long story short (or to attempt to, anyway) he had "missed" one of his buses, was delayed, called me 5 hours passed the pre arranged time, and, and, and...we couldn't wait for this deal to just be over! So, while standing at the insurance office with him, he was having trouble getting insurance and it was going to cost him quite a bit. He started asking us if there was a pawn shop near by. I really felt it on my heart to give him some money. And, after quietly whispering my intent to my husband, we handed him a $100 bill.
After we left him, my husband told me more of the story that I had missed on their drive over (we were in seperate vehicles). The guy had been taken into the jail the night before (he said the police were "giving him a place to sleep for the night" and that they "thought he was drunk, but he was completely sober"), which is the reason he had been late for our meeting. After he had left the insurance office, the lady that was helping us told my husband that she could smell alcohol on the man. Oh...great...we just sent a man who had been drinking in a vehicle out into the night, AND gave him money. He was obviously quite trouble, which was easy to see even in the small amount of time we had been given with him.
So, then the questioning came in. Did we really just do the right thing? Did this man deserve what had just been done for him? Hmmm...
Ok, so did I just stop at that? Come on, if you're reading this I think you know me better than that! Of course, I analyze everything to death! I learned a couple of lessons from this. One: none of us deserve the second, third, fourth chance that God freely gives us. Two: it is not up to me to determine whether or not someone is in need of help, nor judge what they will do with the help that is given. And, third and most important, I just need to obey!
When God places something on your heart, you can't question him. There is always a bigger picture. Perhaps we sowed a seed into that man's life that may get choked out by weeds, or possibly sowed seed that one day will be harvested thirty, sixty, even one hundred fold. Yes, we sowed a seed into our children's hearts by allowing them to see us help someone. I believe we sowed a seed into atleast one of the insurance brokers (whom later revealed to us that her husband worked with mine). But, here is what I believe this lesson was really for: me. Not to say it wasn't for everyone else involved as well. But, I kearned that God wants me to obey Him when He says to do something. We were called to help the broken, not ask why. I learned that I must obey Him without doubt each time He calls because He may just be training me for a BIGGER act of obedience. If I can't obey him with smaller tasks that may seem meaningless to me, then what will I do when it really matters. And, how could I possibly know what will really matter in the end?
agreed.
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