Have you ever had a chance meeting with an old friend years after you lost contact?
Or maybe you are at the grocery store, and run into someone you worked with three jobs ago?
Did you ever have someone find you on Facebook that you had not talked to in … like forever?
This happened to me a few years ago, and it led to an important lesson that I will never forget.
One day, someone who we will call Mike Smith sent me a message on Facebook asking if I remembered him from Rumble Junior High in Warner Robins, Georgia. I was a bit embarrassed, because I did not remember him at all. I apologized and admitted this to Mike. At the same time, I’m thinking to myself, “Hmm, I’m 39 years old, so this would have been like 26 years ago!” And I had moved away right after Junior High. Plus, this was before everyone had email or cell phones, and so it was a lot more difficult to keep in touch.
Trying to jog my memory, he continued with another FB Message.
Mike: You used to hang out with Ricky and Andrea. The three of you were always together.
Me: Yes, I remember Ricky and Andrea! But, I’m sorry, I still don’t remember you, Mike.
Mike: And then in 8th grade, I started hanging out with you guys also!
At this point, I am starting to have some recollection of Mike, but it’s still a bit fuzzy. Then, what he said next simply blew me out of the water.
Mike: You guys really had a positive impact on my life. I had never had any Christian influences up to that point, but I could really see Jesus in you guys. The way you three lived your lives, and the way you treated each other, and the way you accepted me into your group, and befriended me, it was so cool. I didn’t make a decision to follow Jesus at the time, but I never forgot you guys, and I never forgot the way you had treated me, and what I saw in your lives. Then a few years later, I made a decision to give my life to Christ, and I have been following Him ever since.
Woah! That’s crazy! I never knew! I never realized how much he felt connected to our friend-group, or how much it meant to him. I also never realized how it impacted him spiritually.
So, here are the things that hit me that day as a result of this conversation that I will never forget:
- You never know how much impact or influence you have on those around you. Whether it’s a kind word, a listening ear, or being open to a new friendship, these things can be so powerful, they can literally change someone’s life.
- If you have a friend-group, don’t be afraid to be open to adding someone new to the group. I didn’t remember Mike at first, because he was a later addition to the group, and I was never as close to him as I was to the others. But it didn’t stop him from accepting our friendship, feeling connected and being a part of the group.
- God may use you in the life of someone else without you knowing it.
- The impact made by God through your kindness or friendship may not be evident until years later. This means you may never see the spiritual fruit that you are cultivating today.
“This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.” — Jesus