The Power of Actions

The doorbell rang at my house around 8am on a Tuesday morning. I found this rather odd because we don’t usually have guests that early in the morning. I would be lying if I did not admit that a voice in my head said, “Just ignore it, they will go away.” But I quickly pushed that aside and went to the door. I was already up and had been to the gym, so my day was in motion.

When I looked out the window at the top of the door, I saw my neighbor standing there. Now, this neighbor and I have not had a more than a few conversations and none of them were too deep. In fact, most of them were very superficial.

After determining I knew who was at my door at such an early hour (I probably would not have opened it for a salesman), I opened the door and greeted him. He asked me if I could give him a ride to the gas station so he could get some gas. He explained to me that he had ran out of gas the night before and that his car was still on the road a few miles down.

I agreed to help him and he headed back down to his house to get his gas can. I went back into the house, threw on a ball cap, grabbed my keys and headed to the car. On our way to the gas station we had small talk. Again, we do not know each other very well so we don’t have a lot of deeper things to speak about. The conversation felt a little forced, but I did not think it was good to just sit in silence. However, there were periods where we were quiet.

Once we got the gas, we ended up driving a little ways to get his car. He said that he ran out of gas around 10pm the night before during the rain storm. He walked about a mile before someone picked him up and took him home. We spoke about the challenges of running out of gas and I mentioned to him how my dad would run out of gas a lot when I was younger.

When we got to his car and he got out, it dawned on me how powerful actions are when it comes to interacting with others. You see, what I have not told you so far, is that there was a lot of snow during the winter in my neighborhood. This gentleman that I took to his car is older than me and does not appear to be in the best of shape. So when the snow filled our driveways, I would head down to his house and help him shovel out his driveway.

This gave me a chance to get to know him a little and it opened up a door for me to be able to assist him at other times. Helping him during times of need may have earned me the right to share my story with him in the future. Matthew 10:42 says, And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.

I know most Christ followers have a difficult time sharing their faith with those around them. I get that. Showing that level of vulnerability to those around you is scary. However if you are a friend first and a follower second, you might just earn that chance to share your story. What I mean by that is, be their friend. If you can meet a need for them, do it. And as you develop that friendship, you will have an opportunity to share your faith. Trust me, it will come up. And when you do, pray to God that He will open your friend’s heart and mind to the Good News.

What are some stories you can share of times when you helped a person and it enable you an opportunity to share your faith?