Driveway Sharing

We had agreed I was taking Son1 to gymnastics this morning. After I put Son2 down for a nap, I looked over the upstairs railing. Hubby had the front door open, ready to take Son1 to gymnastics. I put up a little fuss, but he insisted. The front door closed. I never heard my car start, though. Hmmm....I dialed his cell phone. Had he left? No answer. Well, maybe he was waiting for my second protest, and he was still in the driveway. I ran down the stairs and made my way down the driveway. He was standing there, with two men in ties.

The three men looked up when they saw me, awkwardly. I had interrupted their conversation. Son1 was strapped in his seat. He was waiting patiently, but there was a visual lesson he was learning about who his dad is and whom he serves. "Ohh," I stammered. "I was wondering if you wanted me to take Son1." Hubby winked at me, and assured me he would take Son1 to gymnastics. I retreated to the house, as the two men reached out, and shook Hubby's hand. One said, "Thanks for the chat, my friend."

A minute later the house phone rang. The caller ID said it was Hubby on my cell phone. If he was going to sit at gymnastics, it was no wonder he took my phone. I am the one with internet access. He shared with me a bit about his conversation with these men.

Since we have moved to Hawaii we commonly have people who share from a few different religions come to our door. We have made a practice to stop and talk to these people, with somewhat of an agenda:

1. We give them our time. These folks are out sharing with many people. When they are talking to us, it is our belief that they are not spending time misleading others. These visitors, or more importantly, these guests, understand that we genuinely want to hear what they believe, and have the time to understand where they are coming from.
2. Our hearts are softened toward them. We are saddened that they do not have an assurance of salvation. We believe the only way to heaven is through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. All those that have knocked on our door, sharing of their faith, have believed that we must earn our salvation, and that God has not extended this invitation to everyone. We have been told we must be careful, because only 144,00 will ever be saved, or we may not achieve the highest terrestrial level of heaven.
3. We offer to pray for them. We genuinely do care about them, and their souls.
4. We share out of obedience. Jesus commands us to in the Bible. It is not out of any type of super ego or personal gain. It is not because we want to argue or have the upper hand in any discussion. We share because we love Jesus.

We have met so many interesting folks. Some have come back to chat, and brought others from their congregation. Only a couple have gotten angry. Most of these guests we meet once, and we have no idea if we will ever meet them again. And that is a risk we take. We have no idea how God will choose to use us.