EVERYDAY MISSIONARY

For anything that becomes visible is light (Eph. 5:14).

When I was in my early twenties, I sold mineral health products for a multi-level marketing company. My belief in the company was rock-solid. After suffering an illness that left me bedridden for months, my desperate mother purchased some from a friend. Within weeks, I was not only fully healed, I also became a salesperson.

As a successful distributor, I earned my way to a regional conference. The leadership brought in an international sales speaker to help us learn about marketing psychology. At that time, much of my motivation in life was driven by the need to succeed. My illness caused me to leave college, and I felt detached from the purpose I once had.

I’m a born learner and found myself captivated by the speaker as he broke down psychology. During the middle of his discourse, he walked over to my side of the stage, looked directly at me and said, “God loves you and has a plan for your life.” Then he continued on with his talk.

I was stunned! At that moment, I burst into tears, weeping silently in my seat. This random guy from Canada, just doing his job and at the same time being an everyday missionary, told me something I’d never heard before. That God loved me and had plans for me. It was as if someone turned on a light from Heaven and shined it directly into my heart.

I had to leave the room because I was a blubbering mess.

During our lunch break (still crying), I called my best friend and roommate who was the only Christian I knew personally. I felt so excited to tell her about the man and his message for me. Her response was less than stellar.

“Uh...ok,” was all she said.

But her lackluster response couldn’t diminish my elation. My heart completely changed that day.

The work of God is a mystery. How does He take words from a stranger and transform them into an effective force of life change? That one sentence created a hunger in me. I wanted more. I wanted to know about this mystery God and what His plans were. Instead of desiring money and success, I desired to know Him.

I’ll never forget the name of this man whom God inspired to express His love. I’m eternally grateful that He didn’t cave in to fear, thinking his words may be inappropriate for a business setting. He became for me a messenger of hope–a living, breathing light bearer who made God visible.

Your mission field might be right in front of your face! Who can you share God’s message of love with today?