Nev

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (Philippians 2:3-4)

It's easy to go to church on Sundays. What's harder is being the church, the other 6 days of the week. That's especially true when we live busy lives.

Between our families, careers, relationships, friends, etc., there's always something going on. There's always another weekend family gathering, another activity for the kids, another double date, another conference call, and so on. Busy schedules mean busy minds. I'm pretty good at adapting to the craziness - how about you? I've trained my mind to handle the busyness but in doing so, I've created routines and patterns in my life, in my way of thinking. Until recently, I didn't consider how numbing to reality the busyness can be.

Last week, I had a re-awakening. What was supposed to be a routine phone call to my satellite TV provider to discuss an overcharge was hijacked by the Holy Spirit. It was mid-morning and my call was routed to a woman with some type of accent. She started to assist me with the problem after I explained why I believed I was overcharged. I had one thing on my mind - getting the $25 mistake expunged and getting back to work. Several minutes into the call, I started becoming annoyed with the woman. She kept trying to make conversation with me by asking questions about my service.

That's when I felt God speak to me, "Why are you so annoyed?" As she continued to talk and wait for her approvals from management to remove the charge, God showed me that I was growing annoyed because my thoughts were centered around me and my plans, not considering the other person at all. Have you ever been in a conversation with someone and while they're talking, you're already planning your response? All. The. Time. This isn't active listening. Active listening might look more like a question in response to what the other person is sharing. Instead, many conversations end up becoming terribly shallow.

Needless to say, I couldn't remain annoyed for long, especially since I had just been convicted by the Holy Spirit. That's when I changed my tired tone and asked the woman a question, "Hey, where are you located?" That question changed the entire trajectory of the call. She responded timidly, "To be honest, I'm offshore, in the Philippines." I took a moment to clear my busy thoughts and think about what that meant. It's amazing what happens when we actually slow down our minds and think about what others share with us. Rather than saying something in response like "Oh cool, I'm from New Jersey," I decided to press in and ask, "Wait, that means it's late at night for you, right?"

She responded, "Yes, sir. It's late but we get used to it over here." I suddenly felt a series of emotions ranging from curiosity to sadness. We began talking about a number of things from her use of mass transit to her concerns for her health and safety in Manila. At one point, I shared that I was a disciple of Christ and that piqued her interest. What started as an emotionless, scripted phone call turned into a real conversation where both of us took interest in each other.

I knew what I had to do. God was speaking very clearly that He wanted me to pray for her. So I offered her prayer and she gladly received it. Imagine that - I get overcharged $25 and now two strangers are praying time zones and continents away from one another. It was a beautiful moment and we both let each other know how much we needed it.

Her name is Nev and the conversation I had with her taught me two really important things:

1) Pay attention and take interest in the people God brings into your life, even in the smallest of ways.

2) My problems are problems, yes. But don't overlook the struggles others are dealing with, especially those that are serving you.

Going to church on its own is a myopic way to live a Christian life. But being the church and engaging with the people around you - that's what brings a smile to Jesus. Christ takes a genuine interest in each and every single one of us - but if we're not listening and if we don't take a genuine interest in Him, we will miss out on everything good He has planned for us, in these lives but most importantly, in the life to come. God doesn't want to have shallow interactions with us - He wants to be part of our lives, not a part of our lives.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20)