What if..

As I drove to work this morning I saw two girls standing on the the corner waiting for the bus.  These girls couldn't have be more different by the outward appearance.  I watched as they both stood apart while one was on her phone and the other was just looking sad at the ground.  I couldn't help but wonder what a difference it would make in each of those girls lives if the girl with the phone put it away and started a friendly conversation with the other.  There are so many hurting people in the world.  So many youth that feel left out or unliked by others.  If we paid more attention to the people that God puts in our path and made an effort to smile, talk to them, or just acknowledge they have a purpose in life, what a difference that alone could make in someones life. 

Then when I arrived to work a co-worker and friend who parked next to me just got out of the car, said good morning, and then just walked away as I struggled to get stuff from my car.  I thought to myself, wow, what if we took a minute to see someone needed help or just someone to talk to as they walked into work...what a difference that could make in someone's day.  So many of us are so stuck in our own head that we don't pay attention to the opportunities around us.  Every day there are people we encounter not by chance but by God's plan and if we ignore those opportunities we are ignoring an opportunity to make a difference in someone's life. 

People ask me from time to time, what can I do for you?  I don't know what to say because I honestly don't know what I am doing from one moment to the next.  Some days I feel like cooking, cleaning, or doing the things that need to be done, and other days I feel like doing nothing.  Some days I want company and need to talk and other days I just want to be alone with my family.  It has amazed me how some people have felt God place something on their hearts that they could do for me and they just do it, and it turns out to be exactly what we needed.  Whether it's dropping off an unplanned meal, booking a night stay for us to getaway, scheduling people to come do yard work, or just stopping by to see how we are doing.  How often do we have things put on our heart but because we are "busy" or have our own "issues" we just ignore it?  What if we listened to the spirit when it speaks to us.  What if when someone comes to our mind and heart, we acted on it and called them or dropped them a card?  But something as simple as listening can be to hard for us.