Life gets busy, and sometimes we miss the gentle whispers of God calling us to step into his purpose for our lives. I did that recently. Then God gently softened my heart and drew me back to Him. Come. God invites you to come deeper into his heart and your destiny.
Two summers ago, God brought the homeless into my life in a very personal way. It seemed like everywhere I went outside at the pharmacy, at the grocery store, or at traffic lights, I encountered someone in need. Here in South Florida, we have a lot of homeless people. Some were asking for help, but many just stood there silently, weighed down by the mental illness that keeps so many people homeless.
I felt God nudging me to act. So I went to the bank and I withdrew a stack of tens and twenties and gave to everyone I could. I stopped to talk and to hear them as people, not just as creatures in need. I gave and I prayed for them.
Those moments were filled with God's love, and they touched me deeply. But that was almost two years ago. In the meantime, my life has gotten busier and more difficult.
Family issues and work have taken up most of my energy. A couple of months ago, I was in a coffee shop when a man walked in. He looked homeless, carrying a small bag and walking with a limp. I flinched when he sat down very near me. I hope he wouldn't talk to me.
I didn't have any cash.
But the real issue wasn't my wallet. It was my heart. I didn't want to be interrupted by him. I actually felt bothered that he was there. As I left the coffee shop,
I was thoroughly ashamed of myself. I could have bought him a meal with a credit card.
I could have simply acknowledged him as a person. I could have talked to him, listened to him.
I could have cared about him. Instead, I looked away.
It hit me that my change of heart toward homeless people hadn't shifted overnight. It had crept in quietly, little by little, as I became consumed with my own plans and desires.
When we focus on chasing what we want, we can unknowingly drift further and farther away from the heart of God.
Ezekiel 36:26-27 "And I will give you a new heart and I'll put a new spirit in you. I'll take out your stony stubborn heart and give you a tender responsive heart and I'll put my spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and and be careful to obey my regulations."
Ezekiel prophesied what God would do for us modern day Christians. That happened when we were born again. God removed our old hearts of stone. We received new hearts, new spirits. Holy Spirit came to live in our new spirits and God created tender responsive hearts in us. He put a willingness in us to listen to him, to want to hear him, to be with him and to obey Him.