Walk Across the Room

Just a few steps and a friendly hello may be all it takes to change someone's life—and their eternity! And the good news is, it has more to do with taking a genuine interest in another person and listening to their story than it does with learning evangelism tactics and techniques.  Bill Hybels

Hearing God.  Having the guts to respond.  Bill Hybels

Several years ago I read a book by Bill Hybels called “Just Walk Across the Room”.  The book talks about how Christians need to take that first step toward another person to begin the conversation about salvation.  I would like to share with you an incident that happened this morning.

There is a CVS on the road to work.  At 6:00am it is the only thing open besides fast food places serving breakfast or Quik Trips and 7-Elevens. Periodically I will stop in at the Consumer Value Store and buy those little containers of fruit or a milk and single serving cereal for breakfast. 

I always see the same gentleman who works in the store.  After seeing him over and over again I started talking to him while I was checking out.  One day I asked him his name.  The next time I saw him I asked him if he owned this particular store.  That opened the conversation for him to tell me that he works the morning shift.  That would be the 11:00pm to 7:00am shift.  This morning I stopped in to get fruit and he sees me come into the store.  He comes over to ask if I need any help.  I will point out that he had never done that before.  I picked up what I needed and then we started to the front and I asked him how he was doing.  He said he is tired because he didn’t sleep last night.  I asked him was it because his mind wouldn’t stop running and he said yes.  He then tells me that his family is in Syria and he can’t sleep because he is worried about their safety.  His wife and children are here but his parents, siblings and cousins are all in that country and have fled their homes.  Due to the fighting in their country he worries continuously if they are safe. 

The first thought that came to me was how would I feel if my entire family was in a country where there is war and you don’t know whether they will survive a day much less survive for you to see them again.  At that point God opened my mouth and I asked him if I could pray for his family.  I wish you could have seen the light that came on in his eyes when I asked that simple question.  I asked him what their last name was so that I could pray for them.

I drove away from the Consumer Value Store praying with tears running down my face.   

This is what Bill Hybels meant in his book.  We have to walk across the room and take that first step.  We have to show others that we genuinely care about them.  That is the only way we will reach other people who don’t know the Lord.  I don’t know if this gentleman is a Christian or not and I don’t even know what his faith is or if he practices any form of religion but I do know he appreciated my question.  It was written on his face. The only way some people will ever reach heaven is through each of us taking that step of faith and walking across the room.       

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I admit I used to be afraid of speaking about You to others.  That was my sinful nature.  My fear came from the possibility that the person I spoke to might be offended and my people pleasing nature made it worse.  I wanted people to like me so I didn’t speak of You to others.  I am no longer afraid and I praise You for Your great mercy on me.  Thank you for giving me the courage to step out in faith to help another person who is hurting.  

Scripture:   Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.  But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.  Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”  Matthew 9:35-38