Do you ever think about all the things you pay attention to? What about the things you don’t? I recently heard a statistic that 87% of all we think about is ourselves! We may act like we are paying attention to other people and try to look interested, but the truth is we usually are thinking about ‘us.’ This morning while having breakfast, I was visiting with the lady who is staying with us during this winter blizzard. A couple of weeks ago she came to LifeQuest. Sundays are so busy for me – making sure all of the ministries are ready to go for the worship experiences. I am always very focused because I believe Sundays have the potential to change lives for eternity. So as I headed out into the lobby at the end of the service there were a lot of things I was paying attention to in my head. Out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of her and she looked like she needed someone to talk to. “Okay God, ” I thought to myself. “I will pay attention.” She explained to me that she’d been coming to church off and on and trying the ‘God thing’ but it just wasn’t working for her. That’s when I discovered she’d been living in her car for the past 3 months. She shared with me when she came to church that day, it was really the last straw. She was considering ending it all. Praying with her that morning at church caused her to give God another try. Her story has reaffirmed for me that I should never be so focused on ‘doing’ ministry that I don’t pay attention to those who are hurting all around me. We never know the difference it will make. Are you paying attention to the right things?
