Ambassador

Good Morning Friends. Most people who know me know that I’m passionate about running. It’s one of the ways that I connect with God - not only through the act of running but through the wonderful friendships the running community has fostered. As such, I’ve grown to feel like I am an “ambassador” for running (as do most of my running mates) and we often try to demonstrate it by greeting people well as we run.

It’s always kind of fun to see how people will respond. Some people reciprocate, some people ignore you, while others seem totally oblivious of the gesture. I often find I quietly try to guesstimate their response ahead of time. It’s kind of a game.

This week it was particularly busy when I ran at one of my favorite parks. The weather was beautiful and all sorts of people ventured out that day. As I started my run, I greeted a handful of people. I was about a mile into my run when I approached a rather large and intimidating person. As I approached him, I noticed that he had a rather surly look on his face. “Non-responder”, I quietly thought to myself.

As I approached him, I noticed that he seemed to be “angry” and was talking to himself about something. When I was about five feet out, I greeted him with my standard “Good Morning”. Not expecting anything in return, I focused on the path in front of me and increased my stride to sneak by him quickly. But at the exact moment that we crossed paths and I could no longer see his face, he responded, “Good Morning” in such a soft, gentle, unexpected manner that it caught me totally off guard. So much so that his sincere, genuine response was like “an arrow” straight into my heart. It was as though God Himself reached out to me and greeted me that morning through a total stranger. A stranger I had kind of prejudged just seconds earlier during my run.

Have you ever had that happen before? You experience God unexpectedly in a very real and very personal way? And you receive and accept His gift well when it happens?

I think God probably shows up in my life a lot like that and I simple miss out on Him a large percentage of the time. He shows up in a lot of expected ways - in His Word, through nature, through worship. But He also shows up for me in more subtle ways.

He shows up either through quality time with friend, a unexpected but often needed word of encouragement, a friendly hug, the help of another, an unexpected gift or even the gift of humor – I suspect God is there in the middle of it all. And I’m often so busy or wrapped up in my own world that I simple “miss it”.

I shared with my running mates this weekend. My hope and prayer for both them and myself and you is that we notice those moments in our life when God shows up in very real and personal ways, that we receive it well and then learn to share His presence with others in similar, sometimes unexpected ways. And that the areas of your life where you are most passionate and experience your greatest sense of purpose also allow you to connect with God in a very real and personal way which allows others to see the reason for the hope and joy you experience in life. And that each one of us is a quiet ambassador for those things that we treasure most dearly and passionately love.

What are you passionate about? And how is God calling you to use those passions to serve Him by serving others? To love Him by loving others?

If I can serve you in any way, please let me know. Life is sweet but it is also short. So short. Love boldly and love outrageously while you have the opportunity. And if you don't have the opportunity, make some! :)