Reaching Out

From Aubrey Sorrell:

Hi everybody! I thought I might share something that the Lord has been talking to me about for a while. Since the Guthrie campmeeting in May, the Lord has talked to me a lot on reaching out more. By reaching out I mean being a friend to those who are visiting the church, to those who don't really have a lot of friends. I'm not sure if I can quite put this into words the way God showed it to me, but I'll do my best.

During the Guthrie meeting, Bro. James Bell preached a message about being a first responder. He said something that really stood out to me: "Preach the gospel, and use words if necessary." Powerful, right? Our ultimate goal as Christians is to lead others to Christ, and one of the best ways for us to accomplish that goal is to be an example to others in what we say and do. But we have to take the first step (reaching out and being a friend) in order to be that example. If we will sacrifice our preferences, our excuses, our comfort zones, and reach out, we can then be an example and shine our light so that they can see Christ through us.

Philippians 2:4-8 is one of the passages that has really challenged me. Verse 4 says,

"Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others."

Reaching out and being a friend to someone you don't know can be really hard. I've found myself making the excuse that "I'm not very good at talking to people that I don't know very well" or "I'm really bad at making conversation" or "I'll just make it awkward, and someone else is better at welcoming others anyways." It can be really hard sometimes to ignore the excuses and to step out of our comfort zone.

But, to be completely honest, being a Christian isn't about staying in our comfort zone. We have to step out of our comfort zone in order to make others feel comfortable sometimes. When the Lord asks us to do something, that's the time to act, not later when we feel it will be more convenient. Maybe you don't feel comfortable reaching out to those you don't know, but if you'll do your part, God can then do His part and help you to know what to say.

Put yourself in their shoes. They could really need a friend, and maybe God wants YOU to be that friend. Don't let your own feelings get in the way of reaching out to them. Look for those who need a friend and ask the Lord to help you to be willing to reach out to them.

I'm not sure if I got this out exactly how the Lord showed it to me, but I hope that this was a challenge to someone else like it was to me. I definitely don't have this completely mastered, but I pray that the Lord will continue to help me grow in this area.

Isaiah 6:8
"Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me."

~ Aubrey Sorrell