JESSICA ROAN | GUEST

It was more than just “one of those days.” It was more like “one of those months” or “one of those years”, a time unlike any I had ever experienced before. It was the fall of 2021, and while our school district was going back to school, it was unlike any other first week of school in my memory. It was the return to school after quarantines and fear and chaos of the pandemic. As teachers, we all began that week feeling uncertain and unsettled. On this busy day, I received an email. I recognized the name as soon as it came across my screen, but what the email contained caught me by surprise. This former student wanted me to read her admissions essay for a Christian college. I knew her and her family, so this request was fitting, but as I read her testimony about how God had transformed her life and family, my heart melted. I was in no mood for this unexpected task, but after a deep breath and prayer for a change of heart, this act of service reminded me to appreciate the blessings of life in Christ and the opportunities he puts before us whether we see them or not.

It takes Time to Serve Those Around Us

If you’re anything like me, I am driven by a schedule. From the time my alarm goes off at 5:20 AM until my head hits the pillow, I have an agenda. Chores to do, papers to grade, activities to cart my kids to, dinner to make. Amidst this seemingly endless list of “to dos” are numerous interactions with my family members, students, coworkers, friends, and more. Is hospitality on my mind, whether it be in the form of a kind word, a thoughtful question, or just lending a listening ear? Honestly, no. Most often, I am just hoping the day has no bumps so that I can get the most done in the least amount of time. Jesus, on the other hand, never failed to entertain minister to those the Father brought into his path. He had an agenda: the souls of men. No one he met with was in the way or an inconvenience. He healed the hearing of a deaf man in Mark 7, healed a withered hand on the Sabbath— contrary to the rules of the grumbling pharisees (Luke 6)— and bought bread for a large group of people who followed him (John 6). Even when the disciples tried to free him from dealing with a group of children, . . . “Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven’” (Mark 19:14).

We Don’t Always WANT to Minister to Those Clearly in Our Path

While time is clearly an obstacle for us all, it is often hard to accept the individuals God deliberately brings into our paths. Even when I am looking for an opportunity, I find myself saying, “Her, God? Why does it have to be her? I want to minister, but why can’t it be so-and-so instead?” The woman at the well, Zacchaeus, the perfume-wielding prostitute, Christ gave to each of them his time and attention when no one else would. And, yes, he was criticized for it. In Matthew 9, the Pharisees ask the disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” (9:11). Jesus responds with “Those who are well have no need of a physician but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice’. For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (9:12-13). I prefer ministering to people who are easy to relate to and where the help required is easy and simple. Many times, I have shied away from an opportunity because the struggles of a particular individual took me farther from my comfort zone than I cared to go. My Savior did the opposite. He willingly engaged with the outcast, the outsider, and the less-than’s of society.

Be Ready and Willing

The woman at the well in John 4 was considered by society to be of “the wrong race” (a Samaritan), engaged in a sinful lifestyle, and was even an outcast among her own people. Rather than pass her by, He called her to himself. He engaged with her right where she was and revealed the truth to her. Sometimes, the Lord brings us opportunities to get outside our comfort zones, to set aside other tasks, and to be a light to the hurting around us.

The writer to the Hebrews encourages us to be ready and willing to be hospitable, not only to those in the body of Christ but also to those we don’t know saying, “Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you are also in the body” (Heb. 13: 1-3). When the Lord brings me someone to serve, I want my heart to be ready and willing. I want to be eager to show the love of Christ to whomever he sets in my path—even if it cramps my own agenda and plans.

Lord, give me eyes to see those around me as you see them and the willingness to minister whenever and to whomever you bring my way.

Photo by Rosie Sun on Unsplash