Opportunities to Share God’s Love

September 4, 2013 by blmaluso 12 Comments

This past weekend, my husband and I enjoyed some special time with my son, Joe, and his wife, Melissa.  They are in the process of moving to the west coast, so we were having some in-depth discussions about how the Lord is leading them.

After sharing a recent “God inspired” experience I had in a grocery store, my son wanted to share an experience he had.  As he started talking about it, his eyes filled and we could all feel his heart.  Here is Joe’s story:

He was grocery shopping as usual…up and down the aisles and very much in a hurry.  He was totally preoccupied with the swirl of activity and tasks that needed to be done.

An elderly woman came up to him, and said that she was from the homeless shelter and she wondered if he could help out.  She said “Please don’t be mad  that I am asking.”

Joe is the type of person that would give the shirt off his back to anyone in need.  However, in this case, with his mind on other things, he let her know he was not mad, but did not have cash with him.  She went on her way.

As soon as she walked away, he realized what he had done.  She was in need, and he could have paid for her groceries with his check card…he picked up a few more items he needed, and then looked for her in every aisle.  He could not find her.

Immediately, he started to pray.  “Lord, I know that you sent this woman to me, and I failed.  I didn’t help her in her need and give as Jesus would have.    Please, send someone else to me that is in need, and I promise that I will not let you down again.”

The next stop was the gas station.  As he was filling his tank, an SUV pulled in.  A man, that looked a little disheveled and exasperated, jumped out of his car, and walked over to Joe.  He asked if Joe could help him…even with just one gallon of gas so he could get down the road.  He shared that he has a large family and they recently decided to purchase the SUV so they can travel around comfortably.  Then he lost his job….and now he can’t even afford to put gas in it.  He was a broken man.

Joe told him to pull his vehicle over to the pump and filled it for him.  The man could hardly believe what was happening, especially with the price of gas being what it is.

Joe asked if he knows the Lord, and asked if he could pray with him…

After hearing Joe’s story, you could have heard a pin drop.  Our hearts were filled with the wonder of God’s love and grace.

So many opportunities are placed in each of our lives every day.  Many times we stop and give of ourselves and share Christ’s love, and many times those opportunities to love slip through our hands.

May we always have the humility to ask the Lord for forgiveness in the times we do not give of ourselves fully, and ask for new opportunities to share our love, gifts, and blessings with those He places on our path every day.

He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.  1 John 4:8

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.  1 Corinthians 13:13

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.   John 3:16

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