who’s your target?
On my way to The Pearl House office one morning, I ran through the car wash (so I could actually see my way to the office) and then I had a quick return at Target. As I pulled into the parking lot and reached to grab my return, I realized that I had left it at home. I was so frustrated with this time I had lost and I exclaimed to myself, “are you kidding me?!” I had so much to do that day and I felt frustrated. Ugh.
But then I noticed something. It was an older lady with white hair, she was a little hunched over and was wiping tears from her eyes. I got out of my car, walked over to her, and asked her if she was okay. I noticed a walker in the backseat of her car and she was using the Target cart as her help. She proceeded to tell me her car wouldn’t start and asked if I knew how to start it. (I should have listened to that lesson that my husband gave me) I told her I didn’t but I could find someone who could. This was not the day to blow up an elderly lady’s car.
I quickly ran (I mean, I didn’t really have time for this today) into Target asking anyone who worked there if they had jumper cables and knew how to jumpstart a car. This one guy, nails painted purple, hair pulled back in a long ponytail, quickly said, “I can go on my break now and help her. I don’t have jumper cables but I can go buy some. You never know when you might need them.” I was taken back by his kindness. I told him thank you and may God bless him and he proceeded to say, “a little bit of kindness can go a long way.”
I went and waited with my new friend next to her car until help arrived. When I felt like she was in good hands, I asked her if she was okay if I left so I could get onto work. She smiled so big and said, “you must have the love of God in you for you to help me in this way.” When she said this, I thought of 1 John 3:17, “If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?” I quickly responded, “well, I do love Jesus!
What a compliment to receive! I was on cloud 9 that day and couldn’t stop smiling. What a GREAT use of my time. I believe I was meant to stop at Target that morning and it wasn’t for a return. I was meant to help someone I hadn’t even met. Little did I know that she had been praying for God to send someone to help her! Wow! And I got to play a small part.
You never know how God might use you. My challenge for you is to be open, sensitive to His Spirit, His leading, and ask God to show you how you can show His love to others today. You never know, you might find yourself the Target of God’s calling.
Matthew 10:40-42
“Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”