God

I heard something the other day and I thought, “so what are you trying to say?”

It’s happened a couple of times during a preach, just a quick comment about a character or story in the bible. It may go something like, “you’ve probably never heard of this,” and they name an obscure character or bible story. When I hear a comment like that, it just strikes me funny, and not in the “ha ha” way. Maybe they say it that way because what they really want to say, “you would know it if you read your bible,” might not be received so well.

Now don’t get me wrong, because for longer than I care to admit, I would probably be like, “yep never heard of that guy.” That definitely changed when I picked up my bible and just started reading through it. I wasn’t doing anything special like following a study, reading the bible in a year, or doing it with a group of people. I was just reading and underlining things that jumped out at me. In turn, I found that I liked it! Reading the bible is like having a conversation with God. It’s a long, and slightly confusing conversation at times, but a conversation where I slowly know Him better. Most of the time, it’s also helped me know me better too.

After pondering it, I wondered if the answer to my question really mattered? Why? Well, whatever the reason the comment was made, it seemed like a missed opportunity. A teachable moment if you will. I know, those are what we think belong to children, but we adults have them too.

So I wondered, what if instead of tossing off a comment that may or may not be useful, why not see this as a teachable moment? Wouldn’t this be the perfect time to encourage your listeners to read for themselves what God has placed in His book? Instead of just assuming they’ve never heard of the character or story, ask IF it’s new to them? If it is, that is the perfect time to invite them to go home and read through the passage themselves. To take some time and ponder what the words say and the context of when they were written. To make space for the Holy Spirit to take the words on the page, and the message from the pulpit to speak into our every day lives.

So if you hear a comment like that in a preach, sermon, teaching (whatever you happen to call it) just remember the opportunity you have before you. If the story or character IS new to you, check it out more! Read the passage in different translations, check out a commentary and talk about it with a friend. The stories are old, but we are told that “there is nothing new under the sun.” So in these stories and the people who lived them out, we have the opportunity to see a reflection of our own lives.

There is an annual event in the valley called Kids Day. It is an fundraiser for Valley Children’s hospital. We are blessed in the central valley to have an exceptional children’s hospital, that gives amazing care. So every year on Kid’s Day, the Fresno Bee sells a special edition newspaper, and hundreds of people stand at intersections selling them for a a couple bucks. It is such a well received fundraiser, that many people give more than the asking price. As I was getting ready for work, they mentioned it on the news, so I checked my purse to make sure I had a few dollars ready for my paper. I left the house this morning, prepared to do good. As I got into the car, I put the money on the seat beside me so I would be ready.

While driving I decided to try out my new earpiece that my husband purchased for me, I put it on and was talking to him in an instant. I drove and shared a running commentary of the detour that had been set up the day before and the utility problem they had been working on. By the time I had hung up with him only a few minutes had passed, and I was approaching the high school where I would turn right, to get to the freeway. It was then I was somewhat surprised by the person standing on the corner? I realized that there was a woman selling a Kid’s Day paper. As soon as I saw her I knew what she was doing, but in the few short minutes that it took to get from my house to the high school, I realized that my mind had been distracted from Kid’s Day back to normal life. What had been at the top of my mind when I left home had been displaced in a few short minutes.

As I slowed to make the turn, I rolled down the window and handed her the money I had on the seat next to me. As I continued driving, I thought about how easy it was for me to forget about “doing good”. It made me think, what if I hadn’t checked to make sure I had a couple of dollars before leaving home would I have gotten a paper? If I hadn’t had the money out on my seat, would I have had time to dig in my purse, possibly holding up traffic,to get my paper? I am not sure. They only sell it on the street in the morning. If I had waited until lunchtime, I would have been out of luck.

How many of us find ourselves in the same position? We want to do good, but when the opportunity presents itself, we aren’t prepared to respond. Along the way, we’ve become distracted by other things. I thought back in my own life, on the many times I wasn’t able to respond to a need because I wasn’t prepared. The checkbook wasn’t balanced, bills were due or I had spent too much on other things. I get distracted along the way, and take my eyes off of being a good steward with God’s money. I know He owns it all, but in all honesty, most of the time I act like it’s all mine!

It has been a prayer of mine for a while now, that I become better with God’s money. Sometimes I am on track, but most of the time I am just trying to get back to where I should be. Today was a good day though, not only because of the newspaper. I was made aware of a need, and I was able to help. It felt good, but even more than that, it dawned on me that it was an answer to prayer. You see, this weekend I’d bit the bullet and worked on bills. What needed to be paid then, what could wait for the next paycheck, the whole rotten business. It felt good to get it done, but the unexpected benefit was that when the need arose, I knew that I could help in a small way.

Near the end of the work day I heard a verse: James 3:13, “Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.” I thought the verse spoke to what happened during the day, it makes me want to seek “wisdom from above” and understanding I believe only God can give. I am thankful for the lessons of today, and thankful for the opportunity that came with it. It gives me hope that I am starting to understand a little, and that each day I can be prepared to do good!

Cheryl Mendoza

How He speaks to me…..Or… can't He just call my cell when He wants to talk?

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