When you are in a place where a lot of people are, like a grocery store, shopping mall, sporting event, etc., do you ever take the time to actually look at the individuals that are around you? I often take a moment to observe the people around me. If I take the time to look at their faces, their body language, their interaction with the people they are with, I begin to realize these are real people. They have a real-life story. They are not supporting cast in a movie or play about my life. A multitude of real lives crossing each other’s paths.
If I just stand still and watch the movement of all these multiple groups of people going about their business of the day, I realize I am seeing a microcosm of the actual number of people everywhere on earth. I am observing maybe 25 or 30 at any particular setting. A Google search told me there were 8.025 billion people on earth in 2023. Those near me are typically oblivious to my standing there. Who are these people?
Maybe it is because I am 77 years old. At this point in my life there is less hurry and more time to reflect. Maybe it is my fascination with Biblical characters that only make a cameo appearance in Scripture, like John the Baptist’s mother Elizabeth or Paul’s traveling companion Barnabas. These are real people that lived lives that were integral parts of God’s plan, but we only get to see a few hours of their entire life of 60 or 70 years. Who were they deep down inside? What did they think about or focus on in life that made them people God could use in His plan?
The next time you are in a store, take the time to observe the mother that has a toddler in the shopping cart seat and a 7- or 8-year-old next to her side. She has a real-life story. Does she seem happy or stressed? Is she interacting with the kids or oblivious to them? How she grew up and the things that have happened to her in her life have shaped her to be the woman she is today. A page in a real-life story unfolding in front of me, and I am just a character in the background of her life.
The businessman stopping at the store on his way home from the office is also an accumulation of what his life has taught him. Did he receive a call from his wife asking him to pick something up for dinner? Does he seem to be in a hurry? Does he smile at people he walks by or is he oblivious to them? Does he seem happy?
The thing that amazes me the most is our Heavenly Father knows them all intimately, all 8.025 billion of them; the ones that know Him and the ones that don’t want anything to do with Him. He knows them better than I know my own wife, kids and grandkids. To me that thought is faith expanding. How can I be worried about what is going to happen in the next chapter of my life when our amazing Heavenly Father is in control of everything and knows His creation deeply?
The only thing our Father asked me to do is to reflect His light to this dark, empty world. I will most likely have no influence on the people I randomly pass by. However, there are people close enough to me to know me personally. Do they see the reflection of His light in my life or do my actions hide that light? Am I prepared to share His love when the Spirit “opens a door” to share His truth? Jesus tells us to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Do they feel His love coming through me in our interaction?
Our Heavenly Father knows you intimately also. Is that a scary thought or a comforting one? He wants to guide you and me through our time here on earth. Are we available when He needs us to be His ambassadors to this world?
I will never know the stories of these people that I pass by in my life, but He does. If He needs me to be His hands and hold the door at the store for an older lady with a walker or a dad trying to get three little ones through the door, I am happy to do that. When I realize how little affect I actually have in this great big world, it is easier for me to let the Holy Spirit prompt me when He needs me to do something for others. I just need to be tuned into Him and available. I need to let the Holy Spirit have the “driver’s seat” and take me where He wants me to go.
I will never know who most of the people that pass through my life are, but our Heavenly Father does. My prayer is I will be ready and available when He needs me to be His hands or His voice to touch the people He puts on my path of life in this sad, broken world.
Christian Life Coach 