posted by Hope via joshstevensfoundation.org
I teach Bible study on Sunday mornings to our youth at church. I love these teenagers with all my heart. It was through this youth ministry that I met Josh. I’ll never forget the first time I met him. Shelbie, his older sister brought him in and sat him down next to her. She put her arm around him and announced that this was her little brother and that he’d be joining us that morning. He wasn’t technically old enough to be in the class yet, but I was touched by how his sister wanted him there, and the smile on his face; so he stayed.
And he was such a blessing to our youth group. His smiles, his enthusiasm for life, his rap songs, and his kindness. Josh was not afraid to seize any opportunity to show Christ to others through his Kindness.
This morning, I taught on seizing the opportunity when God puts it before you. Don’t miss your chance; don’t ignore it, just take the moment, the opportunity, and do something with it!
A little while later, I was helping run the *store* for our Children’s Ministry. Each month, the children have the chance to turn in tickets that they have earned in Bible study for a prize. One little boy in particular wanted the gingerbread man on the parachute. We dug through the bag and gave it to him as we received his tickets. Next came a little girl who only had one ticket, but wanted a two ticket item. She’d already spent two of her tickets, but really wanted the next item on her list. I thought about just giving it to her, but the table was crowded with children who were trying to get there *purchases* in and I felt an *urge* to leave it alone. Very unlike me. *smile*
A few moments later, the boy who wanted that little gingerbread man handed it back to me. He asked if he could please have his tickets back. I was puzzled, but then my heart melted as I watched him hand her his ticket so that she could have the special Christmas bookmark that she wanted.
I so wanted to give him a kindness card, as his special act reminded me so much of Josh; but I didn’t have one with me. But God is good and was showing me something, because there was a Kindness card to be found in the church. I grabbed another gingerbread man on a parachute, the Kindness card, and went in search of the boy, who was just leaving the church. I stopped his mother, and asked her to wait for one moment. Then I asked Jonathan, the boy, if he knew what a Kindness card was. Indeed, he did. I explained to him how wonderful his act of kindness was this morning, and how he had reminded me so much of Josh that it brought tears to my eyes. He smiled graciously, as he took his Kindness card and his gingerbread man.
It is moments like these that we need to seize; exactly what I was trying to teach a roomful of teenagers this morning. Exactly what Josh would have done.
Seize the opportunity; Be Kind and Bless someone else today.
