This morning, after dropping all three children off at their schools, I was rushing into the apartment lobby to catch the elevator up to our home. We're paying $17/hour for a personal attendant for my husband, Scott, (who is currently recovering as a quadriplegic from an injury 3 months ago), and I only have a few short hours to do tasks that could take me weeks on end.
Joe was sitting in his usual spot, on the lobby couch, as the cheerful greeter to all who pass by him. (Joe is an older man who uses a walker and has a hearing aid. I would guess he is in his eighties.)
As I zipped past him, he smiled and waved, and I waved back and said, "Hello!". I walked just a few steps when I heard my thoughts, "Give him a hug."
"What?"
"Give him a hug."
"I am not going to give him a hug. He'd think I'm crazy. I hardly know this man. Oh.... this must be from God. I just need to do it. I never know what blessing will come about, or what God has planned. Obedience."
"Love."
So, I obediently, turned right around, walked over to Joe, said, "I want to give you a hug," and leaned over to give him a hug around his neck. When I did, that man's face lit up and he raised both arms and grabbed me into him, almost making me lose my balance, squeezing my neck so tight and giving me a big kiss on the cheek. He was saying things like, "Bless you." and "I love you." and "I'm a lonely man, I have no family, Thank you, etc." It was in this sweet embrace that I knew that the hug was not just for this old lonely man, but that God was giving me a hug too. He knows my heart's longing for my husband to hug me. He knows Scott's longing to hug me.
By my simple acts of listening, discerning, and obedience, this man was blessed, I was blessed, and my husband was blessed (by his wife getting a hug).
I will confess, Joe asked if I would sit with him and visit a while. I told him I could not (feeling a bit guilty that God may have been requiring more of me than I was willing to give up at the time), but got his apartment number, and I am hoping our family can make it a point to go visit him at times (now that the Lord has opened this door up for this relationship). Who knows what blessings are missed and how our actions truly affect the kingdom of God. We are all so intricately woven together in time and space.
* * * * * * *
Thoughts to ponder:
"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." 2 Corinthians 10:5
"Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4
"And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." Colossians 3:14
"Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it." Luke 11:28
For Further Study:
How can you tell when it's God's voice telling you to do something?
Rachelle's Answer: The way I handle this: In short, I ask myself:
"For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done." Matthew 16:27
"The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor." 1 Corinthians 3:8
Last thought:
By the way, I used to feel guilty about all the times I do NOT obey the thoughts in my head that I believe are from the Lord (because I am embarrassed, or doubt they are from him, or what-not); however, I have realized this is just another foothold from Satan... guilt!!! So, I now try to shake those times off, and work to be better the next time I have an opportunity, and consciously notice I am being spoken to. I have learned that God is going to meet His children's needs, whether I comply or not. It's an honor to be a part of His work, and be His hands, when I do listen, and usually I receive blessings too (inner joy, inner peace, etc.. all that good stuff)!
Joe was sitting in his usual spot, on the lobby couch, as the cheerful greeter to all who pass by him. (Joe is an older man who uses a walker and has a hearing aid. I would guess he is in his eighties.)
As I zipped past him, he smiled and waved, and I waved back and said, "Hello!". I walked just a few steps when I heard my thoughts, "Give him a hug."
"What?"
"Give him a hug."
"I am not going to give him a hug. He'd think I'm crazy. I hardly know this man. Oh.... this must be from God. I just need to do it. I never know what blessing will come about, or what God has planned. Obedience."
"Love."
So, I obediently, turned right around, walked over to Joe, said, "I want to give you a hug," and leaned over to give him a hug around his neck. When I did, that man's face lit up and he raised both arms and grabbed me into him, almost making me lose my balance, squeezing my neck so tight and giving me a big kiss on the cheek. He was saying things like, "Bless you." and "I love you." and "I'm a lonely man, I have no family, Thank you, etc." It was in this sweet embrace that I knew that the hug was not just for this old lonely man, but that God was giving me a hug too. He knows my heart's longing for my husband to hug me. He knows Scott's longing to hug me.
By my simple acts of listening, discerning, and obedience, this man was blessed, I was blessed, and my husband was blessed (by his wife getting a hug).
I will confess, Joe asked if I would sit with him and visit a while. I told him I could not (feeling a bit guilty that God may have been requiring more of me than I was willing to give up at the time), but got his apartment number, and I am hoping our family can make it a point to go visit him at times (now that the Lord has opened this door up for this relationship). Who knows what blessings are missed and how our actions truly affect the kingdom of God. We are all so intricately woven together in time and space.
* * * * * * *
Thoughts to ponder:
- Are you listening to what your thoughts are telling you?
- Are you able to discern God's voice, your voice, the voice of the enemy?
- When you hear God's voice, do you obey - at all cost? Or do you also argue and even ignore.
- How are you missing God's blessings for you and through you because you are not "taking captive every thought"?
"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." 2 Corinthians 10:5
"Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4
"And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." Colossians 3:14
"Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it." Luke 11:28
For Further Study:
How can you tell when it's God's voice telling you to do something?
Rachelle's Answer: The way I handle this: In short, I ask myself:
- Does this please God?
- Does this please me?
- Does this please the devil?
When a "commanding" thought comes into my mind, and I become conscious of it (it's brought to my immediate attention), I ask myself filtering questions like:
If I respond or react in this way, is it in alignment with what I know to be true of God, Jesus, and what the Bible teaches? Usually if I have planted seeds of Scripture, a verse will come to mind to support the instruction. I will then choose to proceed by faith and in obedience. Not always, but many times, I am blessed to see the fruit of the obedience, as in the case today with the hug.
Is this something that I want to do, or does it require that I make some sort of sacrifice (physically, emotionally, humility, etc)? If it's something I do not want to do, and requires my sacrifice (time, humility, risk of embarrassment), and it is in alignment with God's Word, then I have learned to trust that it is most likely from the Lord.
Is this something that is what I want to do, but is at the expense of others, or would only serve me? If I answer yes to this question, then I need to NOT be obedient to this thought.
Is this something that would hurt others, in alignment with what the devil would prefer to hurt my witness for Christ or hinder the furthering of the kingdom of God? If I answer yes to this question, then I need to NOT be obedient to this thought.
Is this something I will be proud of later or will set me up to feel guilty later? This question has really helped me a lot. When I consider whether or not the action could lead me to later feel guilty, and I choose not to even take the chance, this is so freeing for later! I heard it years ago, and I believe there is a Proverb similar (unfortunately, I could not locate it on the spot, but am trusting the Lord to bring it to me so I can add it here later), "Do everything you can to be able to lay your head on your pillow at night without any guilt about what you have done that day." Taking it a step further, I sometimes remember to strive to do even more than required, so at night, in addition to not feeling guilt, I can also be proud of the service to my Lord that I may have contributed that day. For example, not only giving back the change that was wrongly counted back to me at the store, but initiating returning someone elses grocery cart that is hanging out in the parking lot.
"The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception." Proverbs 14:8
"A wicked man puts up a bold front, but an upright man gives thought to his ways." Proverbs 21:29
"Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways." Haggai 1:5 & Haggai 1: 7
"I have considered my ways and have turned my steps to your statutes." Psalm 119:59
"I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve." Jeremiah 17:10"For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done." Matthew 16:27
"The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor." 1 Corinthians 3:8
Last thought:
By the way, I used to feel guilty about all the times I do NOT obey the thoughts in my head that I believe are from the Lord (because I am embarrassed, or doubt they are from him, or what-not); however, I have realized this is just another foothold from Satan... guilt!!! So, I now try to shake those times off, and work to be better the next time I have an opportunity, and consciously notice I am being spoken to. I have learned that God is going to meet His children's needs, whether I comply or not. It's an honor to be a part of His work, and be His hands, when I do listen, and usually I receive blessings too (inner joy, inner peace, etc.. all that good stuff)!
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