Pastor's Corner
February 2008
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in His triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.”
II Corinthians 2:14
Dear Church Family,
Earlier this week I was at one of our local hospitals to visit one of our members. I had forgotten their room number and so I inquired at the receptionist desk. Once I found out the information I headed for the elevators. Out of the corner of my eye I saw an older woman approach the same receptionist and, nodding in my direction, she asked, “Is he a pastor”? I was carrying my Bible, so perhaps that’s why she thought I was. Or was it the “pastoral countenance” that they teach you in seminary! Ha! At any rate, I turned back toward her when she asked the question and then she added, “oh, that’s alright” and she started to move away with a noticeable limp. What I also noticed was that her eyes were filling with tears. I moved back toward her and said, “yes, I am a pastor. Would you like to talk?” Again, with tears in her eyes she nodded a “yes”.
We moved over to an area where we could sit down together and she began her story. She was a Christian with a local church fellowship. Two years ago her husband had passed away suddenly of a heart attack while at work. He was just 65 years old. She was at the hospital to get ready for a surgery on her leg (the reason for her limp). The tears came out of her profound sense of loneliness and grief. She wondered aloud why her grief was still so profound and the ache in her heart was still so deep. As she faced this surgery she especially felt alone without her “soul mate” by her side. We talked, I shared Scripture and we prayed. Eventually I excused myself and went on to my visitation call. It was in many ways a very precious moment of two “strangers” sharing the common bond of being in Christ “to bear one another’s burdens”!
As I reflected on this incident I was reminded of two things. One is that God orchestrates and directs our days. We truly enter into the things He has prepared for us each and every day. There are indeed (as I saw that day) “divine appointments” that the Lord has for us. We need to listen and react as He directs us. I could have gotten on an elevator and missed an opportunity for the Lord to work! I’m so glad God stopped me!
The other thing that I’ve reflected on is the verse quoted above (one of my favorites!). We are to be “the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place”. This dear Christian woman saw a Bible, heard my inquiry and assumed a Pastor! But I would hope that there would have still been something about me and my demeanor that would say “Christian” beyond a Bible and an inquiry! In other words, I want to live in such a way as to truly be that “sweet aroma of Christ.” From my words to my demeanor to my countenance to my actions, I want to be someone who is easily identified as a fully devoted follower of Christ!
So the Lord allowed me to have a small part in offering some measure of comfort to a sister in Christ. Where will you be when God will ask the same of your busy life? Where will any of us be when we might be asked to offer a prayer, speak a word from the Word or just offer a gracious spirit in an ungracious, hurried and harried world?
The Lord has His wonderful ways to remind us that each day He directs our steps and He calls us to indeed be a sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place...including a hospital lobby!
Serving with you,
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