A number of years ago, a friend of mine called me asking for help. His boat had broken down on the river, and he was helplessly adrift with no paddle. He needed rescuing.
Eventually we found him, tied his boat to mine, and began the long tow to the boat launch. It wasn’t long before my cell phone rang. It was him. He saw us enjoying cold sodas, and asked us to throw one back to him. It was a hot summer day, and he had been stuck out there for hours before we showed up.
Throwing a soda 50 feet and expecting him to catch it wasn’t a good idea, so I thought for a second, and asked him if he had a fishing pole. When he casted from his boat into ours, we tied off a can for him, dropped it into the water, and he reeled it in. Brilliant!
Christian, as you live from day to day, you encounter all sorts of people. All of them have their own unique needs. Some wear their heart on their sleeve, and the fact that they are struggling is obvious. They have no inhibitions about asking for help. Others aren’t as easy to identify. Many of them have never experienced the love and forgiveness of God in Christ, and they are thirsty for what you have.
Sometimes you have to get a bit creative to figure out how best to reach them. For some, it’s a direct conversation, and for others, it may be more subtle. I like to use good gospel tracts, which I use either to give to someone as they walk away, or as ice-breakers to get a conversation going.
Sometimes it just takes being friendly, inquiring about them, and asking if you can pray for them.
Whatever the situation, take a second to think about the best way to reach them, and then go for it!
Philippians 2:15 “That you may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom you shine as lights in the world; holding forth the word of life”