Rays of Light

My husband and I were once exiting a restaurant with our four small children in tow when we realized one of them had wandered off. After a quick scan of the crowded dining room, we spotted her at the table of an elderly couple. She and the woman were chatting away like two old school chums.

Back then our little golden-haired beauty was a real people-person whom didn’t know a stranger. She had walked right up to the couple’s table and began to entertain them with her natural charm.

Just as our small clan reached the table, I heard miss sunshine say, “Watch what I can do!” In an instant she turned and did the splits right there in the aisle. My heart skipped a few beats because one of the wait staff was walking towards her lugging a huge tray of hot food. Fortunately, her daddy was able to scoop her up in the nick of time, to the amusement and giggles of all.

It was quite obvious that our little girl had brightened the day for that motherly old woman. Turning her gaze towards my baby boy, she sweetly asked, “What do you do, you cute little thing?”

Without hesitation he replied, “I can count to ten in Spanish. Uno, dos, tres……”

“Splendid!” she chirped. “And what about you?” she then asked my oldest.

“I can count to ten in French. Un, deux, trois…”

My oldest daughter, anticipating her turn to impress the friendly couple, was already thinking. “What do I do?” she responded, as though asking herself the question. After a brief pause, her pensive look melted into a toothy grin.

“I TALK!” she proudly answered.

Periodically, a friend will say to me, “I really want to do something special for the Lord, but I don’t have any special talents or gifting.” First, let me say that I believe everyone has some type of spiritual endowment with which to bless others, even if it is not easily recognizable.

Second, and this is very important, everyone has the ability to share their faith. You may not be the outgoing, social type but that’s okay. Even an introvert can find occasion to talk to others about the Lord.

This may be very surprising to those who know me personally, but I used to have great difficulty talking to anyone. However, it eventually occurred to me that I could better serve my Lord and Master if I were a bit more sociable (okay, maybe a lot more). I prayed about the situation and asked for help in taking steps towards this goal.

Slowly, but surely, the Lord not only enabled me to talk to others, but to enjoy doing so. Now, by the Grace of God, I too am a people-person who does not know a stranger. I engage others in conversation every chance I get and look for opportunities to speak an encouraging word into their lives, especially those who do not know Jesus Christ as their Savior.

If you, dear reader, are uncertain as to what your spiritual endowment is, pray about it until you know then serve with confidence. Each of us have a different job to do, but every laborer is valuable and every job important. Finally, remember, Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men (Colossians 3:23 NIV).

Above all, let us all continue to share the Gospel with others. Jesus said if we don’t praise Him, the rocks will cry out. I’m sure the same is true about sharing our faith. No matter what, the Lord will find someone who is willing to speak out on His behalf. Will you be the one to say, “I TALK?”