I Didn't See That Coming

Have you ever been to a meeting expecting one thing or one response and it was nothing like what you expected?  Or maybe it was just a chance encounter and you thought the conversation was headed in one direction and then "bamm" out of the blue the direction changed to something very serious.

Today was one of those days, it was a fairly trivial, yet very polite conversations about the day to day things we were dealing with in life and this in exactly 19.2 seconds (or close to that) we were into a full blown conversation of life, death, pain and suffering, tears and all.  To quote the famous American Christmas philosopher Clark Griswold, "I couldn't have been any more surprised if I had awoken with my head sown to the carpet."  I sat quietly listening to others talk for a moment about why there was suffering in the world  and why God allowed it.  The person raising the questions claimed to be a believer in God, Jesus, the afterlife in heaven and yet was really struggling.  I finally interjected the reality of living in a fallen world, which was met with a sudden strange silence.  

Then it hit me it is the silence or lack of explanations that accounts for many missed opportunities if sharing our faith.  It was Peter who told us, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." (1 Peter 3:15)  I am intrigued by the whole concept that Peter introduces.  Three major issues are involved here.  First, is "always being prepared".  God is going to throw open some doors in your life when He is counting on you to be the voice of truth and light  in the darkness of someones deepest despair.  As followers of Christ our DNA would indicate that we will be ready for that open door so that we can share Christ.  Second, is that we would be ready or prepared to bring hope into an otherwise hopeless situation.  People are looking for hope to get them through that next day or maybe even that next moment.   If sharing Christ is going to be so much a part of DNA that we are always prepared then that looking of rotten fruit and pickle juice that we often carry on our faces has got to go.  We are messengers of hope not doom, joy not gloom!   Third, we must be ready to share the hope of Christ with gentleness and respect.  The attitude that we have all the answers and people can just go to hell if they don't believe exactly like we do has no place in a community of changed lives who want to have an undeniable influence.  

When do you think your next opportunity is coming?  That's just it, when it does happen and you are looking back at it afterwards, chances are your one of your first thoughts will be "I didn't see that coming!"