Did Your Light Shine Today?

I have often been amazed at how God uses what we might consider to be insignificant events to bring forth very significant changes. I was reminded about this during my recent reading of the book entitled "God's Golden Acres". As we continue to make plans for expanding our work to South Africa I have been reading many excellent resources about this amazing country. God's Golden Acres is a children's home in South Africa for children who are affected by the HIV virus which is devastating the African continent. The founder and director, Heather Reynolds, tells a tremendous story about a incident in her life before she was walking with God.

Heather accidentally ran through a stop sign on the way to a meeting when her automobile's brakes began to fail. She was pumping the brakes but it didn't slow the vehicle down and she ran through a stop sign. With her son ,who was just a toddler in the back seat in a child's seat, she collided with a brand new silver jaguar sports car. When she and the other driver checked to see that everyone was alright, the only concern the driver had was that everyone was fine. Heather said she was fine. "Anyone else in the car" he asked. "Just my son in the back and he's OK", Heather responded. "Then let us thank God that no one was hurt", and he placed his hand on the shoulder of his friend and together they bowed their heads in prayer.

Heather began to cry. He probably thought she was crying, she thought, because of the shock. However, what she was really thinking was, this is how I would like to be. This is the sort of Christian I would like to become. She whispered to God, "From this day on I will seek you. in truth, with an open heart and with an open mind."

Some 22 years later one of Heather's board members recommended an outsider to take the Chairman's role for God's Golden Acres. It was the very driver she had crashed into 22 years ago. This was also the very person she had called to tell that she had given her life to God one night at Deep Valley, and whom she phoned the next day to say: "I just want you to know that I am the woman who crashed into you all those years ago, and I want to tell you that it was your Christian behavior that turned me again to God."

Never underestimate when God will use your small and even insignificant comments, acts of kindness, and when you shine your light shine.......let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.