”Look for inconveniences,” she said. All I could think was, “Why would I do that?” I prefer to avoid inconveniences. Then she went on to describe the unexpected moments that took place in the midst of being inconvenienced such as a knock on the door by someone who needed to interrupt important work to talk through a difficult situation. Immediately the evidence of God was there. Now I have been sitting with that phrase and reconsidering my inner resistance to it.
Curt was working out in the yard when he noticed a person pushing a type of ATV up the road. It was miserably hot and humid. He asked the gentleman if he needed help. The gentleman said he had been walking for five hours but should be fine as long as he was going in the right direction to get to the town of Becker. He was not going in the right direction and had veered miles off his desired path.
Curt shared this with him and then offered put his ATV in the back of his truck and give him a ride. This was not an inconvenience Curt was looking for. He had a long list of things he was hoping to accomplish that afternoon. He was simply willing to put someone else before himself.
2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded,having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (Philippians 2:2-4 NIV).
When I look for inconveniences, I open the door for God to be present in the moment. Curt has always been better at this than me. I am doing some inner work. I’ll be honest. Sometimes it is easier be inconvenienced by strangers than family. Why is that? I clearly have work to do and will be sitting with this phrase for some time.
Do you look for inconveniences? Do you see God in the midst of those moments? Share your story here and breathe life and bring hope to others.