Watching others graze

 

How does it feel when you are standing in front of a green, lush meadow, smelling the sweetness of all the flowers growing there - you are standing there and you just want to walk right on. Suddenly you realize that there's a high fence between you and this wonderful meadow. You are trying to climb over it, to remove it somehow, you are sweating, making efforts and wearing yourself out, just trying everything to reach this meadow... 

While doing that, you see others simply walking on it, filling their empty stomachs, lying down on the meadow, enjoying the sun shining down, the soft breeze on their skin. You can see their happy faces. Their satisfaction, their joy. You want that, too! You want it so much! You are wondering: "What entrance are they using? How did they get there? Why are they allowed to enjoy this and I can't?" 

 This is just a picture of how I felt for a long time. I had a dream. I had a vision. My heart desired to move forward for God, to serve Him, to step out of the ordinary and just to make a difference, advancing His kingdom. While I was trying to get involved in all kinds of things I thought would fulfil exactly that goal, I was watching others doing exactly what I wanted to do. I saw them enjoying it, I saw them working in the areas I really wished to work in. I saw them traveling, exploring new territory geographically, spiritually... and all I could do was: Watch. Watch. Sit. Wait. Watch. It was a hard place to be in. 

Hardly anyone could understand how I felt. I believe today with all my heart that God has a reason for everything. He knows when, how, what, with whom etc. He knows which lessons we need to learn, and which training is the best for us to be a useful tool in His hands once He is moving us on. We might not always understand. 

I don't fully know all the things I had to learn, the reason why I was just able to "watch from a distance" for quite a while. But God knows. He's all-knowing. He doesn't mess things up. We're too precious for Him! And where ever we see ourselves right now: Watching and waiting, being "right in there, doing the stuff", God doesn't keep a distance to us. Never ever. He'll be close to us, while we are "on the shelf", and He'll stick with us while we're "in use". 

I think the mistake I really made was, focusing too much on the meadow I couldn't approach, focusing too much on the fence, while Jesus was beside me all the while, waiting for my attention, waiting for me to learn the lessons, to listen to Him, to receive from Him right where I was. 

While on the shelf: I want to use the time to focus on Jesus, to enjoy the time with Him, which will make it much more endurable. When I'm "in use": I want to make sure I am not getting too involved and too busy not to spend time with Jesus, because that'll make me weak - too weak to give my best for God. And it might even result in putting me back on the shelf!

Coffee Evangelism

I'm a German, living and working in the UK. We Germans have strange habits, such as eating "hard, heavy bread" and drinking "strong, black coffee". When it comes to coffee, I am not willing to make compromises. I especially love the all famous (at least in Germany :-) ) Senseo coffee pads (no worries, I am not getting paid to say this). Nothing compares to the fragrance that spreads around the room when the coffee slowly fills the cup. Once the cup is full, the creamy top just invites you to take the first sip while being flooded with the delicious aroma and taste. I just LOVE it! After one cup, all tiredness is gone, I feel refreshed, satisfied and a biiiig smile settles on my face. Oh yah, that is what good coffee can do. It gets even better if I am able to share the coffee with a close friend, having a nice chat, talking about the silly or deep things of life.

As there is a Senseo coffee machine in the office (God MUST have inspired someone to buy it JUST for me in advance, I am the only one who is using it), I am always going to the Marketing department, getting my treat for the day. And as the weeks went by, I slowly got more people wanting to have a "real" good German coffee, not this instant, tasteless stuff... The good stuff!!

What made people want to try my coffee? They wouldn't know in advance how good it is! And what makes them want to have more once they tried it?

Well... This is what we call "coffee evangelism"! First there is someone, doing something odd. Using a weird looking machine. What would that be for? And these strange coffee pads... Hm. Then, when the coffee is prepared, they smell the aroma... Hmmmm. Wow!! That smells just wonderful! So intense and good and... then they see what's in my cup. Looks delicious too. Creamy top, tempting. And then they see the effect the coffee has on me. Puts a biiiiig smile on my face, revives me, refreshes me, gives me this special look in the eyes... And if I just add a few comments about how much I enjoy it, they're nearly there!

And when they are tired in the morning or after a heavy lunch, all I need to do is remind them that I have this really delicious coffee that would surely wake them up and help them - besides the fact that it is sooo yummy!

Finally, the first colleague said: "Ok, I'll try." And she tried. And said: "Hm... You were right. Wow. It's so good!!" And of course I had to prepare an extra coffee for her the next day! And this is how it really happened, in the end I needed to prepare coffee for quite a few colleagues, but I was happy to do so, because I knew the coffee would do for them what it did for me.

Sounds a bit overdone to you? It's just coffee!!

Well, absolutely right. But I am pointing something out here!

This is how it's supposed to work with us Christians, too! Spreading the sweet aroma of Jesus! The fragrance! Showing what Jesus does in our lives, how He affects us and how He helps us and puts joy into our hearts. Adding some words of truth and encouragement in the right moment... And be sure people are going to be drawn by what we have!