Missed Opportunities

I was reading a friend's blog today and was made painfully aware of a missed opportunity yesterday. He was writing about how your bike makes for great conversation among strangers who are watching you. (He is a biker too! Although he prefers much faster bikes... we prefer to just cruise :)

His closing remarks were "If more people knew how great motorcycling really is, there would simply be more riders and fewer people who wished they were. If more people knew how great life in Jesus Christ really is, maybe there would be more followers and fewer who have no idea what they are missing!" As I was posting a comment to his blog, I began to realize I was blogging on his comment page, so I decided I would just post my thoughts.

I am almost embarrassed to even admit to this after my last post. I want so much to be "growing" on the vine, but I seem to continue missing opportunities God puts before me.

We were on our way to lunch yesterday after morning services, we came upon a homeless man at the stop light. I don't usually give anything to them and don't always even acknowledge them. I try not to be that way, but you hear all the stories about how so many of them are a scam. I have tried to just let God take care of all that and not judge their motives. That being said, I still don't stop that often. But there was something about this man's eyes that made me dig in my purse and give him the few dollars I had in there. He was very grateful, said thank you and God Bless You. I said your welcome and drove on through the light as it had just changed.

As I drove around the corner, I looked at Chris and said "why did I NOT just say God Bless You to that man?" He said, "I don't know, I don't do it either". I wanted to turn around and drive past him again just to say God Bless You, but there wasn't an easy way to get back to where we had come from. We began a discussion about why we don't say those words more often. Why is it so hard to say God Bless You to someone when it should be the most natural thing in the world to say. Especially from a Christian. Why does it make us (or at least me) feel so awkward when those words come out of my mouth.

It is so natural and easy for us to talk about the things we are passionate about. Does that me my passion for Christ is sorely lacking? It's a thought that literally scares me to death. If I feel so awkward to say God Bless You to someone, especially someone who seems to be in such need of God's blessings, what does that say about my faith?

I obviously have a lot more "growing" on the vine to do. I am ashamed of the simple opportunity I missed. If God can't trust me with something so simple, how will he ever trust me with greater opportunities in His kingdom.

I am thankful that God opened my eyes through a friend's blog to see what I missed that He had put before me. I pray that as I continue to work on my "growing" on the vine process, my eyes will be more focused on Jesus and His work around me.