The Choice

No, this is not a post about smoking! Instead, I want to share with you my Lord’s insight in me as I was cleaning off the payment in front of my office this morning. You see, each Monday morning, after a full week-end, the pavement in front of our building is full of some leaves, dirt etc… that just blows across the lot, and then a lot of these: cigarette butts. It is not unusual to have a good number of them on the pavement. So I get my broom and begin to clean the place up for the week. When I first started doing this, I had a “grumble” attitude. You know what I mean. Then the Lord began to work with me – these are specific prayer reminders. I am to bless all who stop here for a smoke, and bless them with all the love and blessing Jesus can give them. I pray specifically if the Lord shares specifics with me. Otherwise, just a general blessing for hope and healing.

I have been doing this for a while, in our good weather, but this morning there was an added thankfulness, as someone had shared a heart-ache with me, yet sent me a text this morning about their choice to bless and be a blessing. What joy it brought to my heart! What a deeply spiritually profound understanding and it releases in us the joy of His heart through-out our day. The reminder gave me even a fuller joy in my prayer with the Lord in our building. Yes, I pray and release our Lord’s presence in a seemingly empty building. But this is what I am called to do – first. To have a precious fellowship in Him. He does the work, I just get to enjoy the blessings! How marvelous is that!

Lord, you allow many things in our lives that normally would be causes for discouragement and  the “grumble attitude.” Yet, you turn just those things into “joy-tasks” as we learn to just be You in the situation. Thank you! Bless all who read this, and Lord encourage their day, wherever you have them in your Kingdom!