Christ In Me
Yesterday I was out running errands, and as I was leaving Target I noticed a man near the intersection. He had a white beard and was wearing a coat with a hood, standing in the freezing rain, holding a sign that read “homeless vet.” As I approached the light, it turned green, so I continued to move forward. As I passed the man, we made eye contact, something I always avoid in those situations. His eyes were bright blue, but what I saw there broke me a little. I saw pain. I saw need. I saw a plea for help. But I kept going.
Tears welled in my eyes and I began to pray for that man, asking God to meet his need, to send help. Then I realized I could have been that person. I could have been the one God sent, but I just passed him by. I continued to pray as I continued to drive, internally wrestling with both myself and God. “Whatever you do for the least of these, you do unto Me.” I heard in my soul.
I’d just finished preparing a talk about growing in Christ, about stepping out of our comfort zones to plant seeds of hope in someone’s life, and here I was comfortable in my warm car, protected from the rain, yet not at all comfortable inside as the Spirit continued to prick my heart. “It’s not too late; you can still turn around and go back.” I started to list the reasons I shouldn’t, but the Spirit kept nudging. By now I’d driven several miles back toward home. But I turned around and headed back toward Wendy’s to buy the man some hot coffee and lunch. “God, what am I doing?” I wondered out loud. “This is crazy!” Then I prayed, “Keep me safe. Let me be the hands and feet of Jesus. Give me courage to pray with him and tell him You’re the reason I did this.” Fear started to creep in and I just kept praying, knowing this was not about me…or was it?
When I made it back to Target, the man was gone. I drove around the shopping plaza looking for him, trying to see if he’d moved to another intersection. But he was nowhere to be seen. I was stunned, confused and a little disappointed. “God, what was that about? I know NONE of that came from me. Why would You compel me to do what I just did, only for the man to be gone now? Why would You move me to help him, and then not let me help him?”
I felt quite foolish telling my husband about it. He happened to be at that same intersection as we spoke. “There’s no one here…are you sure it wasn’t just a figment of your imagination?” He replied, half joking. I was seriously beginning to wonder myself if the man had actually been there at all. I don’t know. For whatever reason, God did not use me to help that man. But I know He used that man to help me – to help me see need; to soften my heart; to make me more aware of the Spirit’s presence and voice; to make me willing to listen and obey; ultimately, to help me want to be more like Jesus.
And as only God would have it, this morning’s sermon was about Christlikeness. I was reminded that God’s goal for us as believers is to make us look more like Jesus. I never cease to be amazed by the way God orchestrates the details of life to come together to fulfill His purposes. And they always will – even when I don’t understand it. Those bright blue eyes will not soon leave my memory. And while I’m not sure whose they were, I am sure God meant for me to see them. Yesterday’s events were not about me; rather they were about growing Christ in me.
And the Lord, who is the Spirit, makes us more and more like him as we are changing into his glorious image. – 2 Cor. 3:18
…Christ in you, the hope of glory. – Col. 1:27
