Signs of the heart

In the movie “What women want” Mel Gibson acquires the ability to hear what women are thinking. These sometimes funny and sometimes disturbing thoughts give us a glimpse of the contrast between what we do and say, and what we are really thinking.
Suppose the next time you go to a high school basketball game, everyone in attendance is wearing a sign around their neck with a statement about the condition of their heart. Signs may read; "I’m lonely”, “my dad hates me”, “I hate my dad”, “I’ll give in, if he says he loves me”, “I’m no good”, “nobody loves me”, “I want to die”. That basketball game would become a real drag. Is this a true sample of some of the things what we might find? Suppose you found other signs reading; “if I were invited, I would go to church”, “I need to talk to someone who cares”, “does God know who I am”. How would you respond in these situations? It would be a lot easier to minister to peoples needs if they were right out there for us to see. The truth is, we meet people every day that have these needs. We go right on about our day with no idea what struggles our neighbors are facing.
The next time you are at youth group, at work or school, ask the Holy Spirit to lead you. Pursue an intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit so that critical opportunities to minister don’t get overlooked. He can give you openings, lead your conversation, and empower your relationships with virtual strangers. But first we must seek Him. Jesus showed us how to do this when He spoke to the woman at the well. He got right to the point of her greatest need and then He filled it. Her life was changed. The rich young ruler might have had a sign that read, “I’m unwilling to surrender all”. Jesus saw this, and confronted his need. The young man rejected the call to change, and confirmed his own inability. If the next time you are at a restaurant and a little voice encourages you to ask your waiter if you can pray for him, will you do it? This is not a hocus-pocus mind game; it’s simply learning to hear and the willingness to obey when the Spirit.
Father, I pray that your Holy Spirit will be my companion as I strive to do Your will. Amen.