I have noticed lately that many of the people that I cross paths with, not only believe in God, but are happy to share their faith with me. My question is this: Am I just realizing this, because I am closer to God, and therefore more open to sharing my faith as well, or do you think that there are more believers out there?
The first time this question crossed my mind, was at the bank a few weeks back. I was in a city about 45 minutes from where I live, and the teller most likely lived in the area. Looking at the two of us, you would easily assume that we had nothing in common…lol. He, however, had a Baby Jesus (that’s what we call them anyway) figure on the ledge next to his desk. I have a couple of them, that have been given to me by family, so I complimented him on his. That was the beginning of a beautiful conversation with a person that I might have otherwise only exchanged pleasantries with, and our faith in God was the reason we had it.
Just last week, I stopped at a local grocery store to grab some tomatoes. My favorite farm stand was out, and I love tomatoes, so I wasn’t going home without some…lol. As I approached the doors to the store, there were two men with a table and coolers, stopping everyone that went in. I’ll admit, I was ready to put up my armor and walk right by, but then I remined myself how blessed I am, and decided to be kind, and at least hear what they had to say.
Unlike most of the people I have seen soliciting in our area, these gentlemen were not asking for money outright. They were asking for food donations for young men that were in a home, trying to overcome their addictions. They provided me with a list of items that were most needed, and I proceeded to spend over $20 on porkchops for them, and $2.49 on tomatoes for me…lol.
I ended up in the line behind an older woman, who was also carrying a package of porkchops. I jokingly said, “so, they got you for the porkchops too”, and we both laughed. She mentioned that she never did this sort of thing, but she felt that with all of her blessings, she should be giving back, which was the exact same way I felt. We both agreed that God is good, and again, I had a deeper conversation with someone I may have otherwise just smiled and said hello too, all because we were comfortable sharing our faith.
So, what do think? Is it me, or are there more of us out there, ready and willing to stand up and openly celebrate God?