counting conversations...

Ever feel like your interaction with other people is just surface talk?

Sometimes I (Sarah) wish I could feel like I was doing more to help people. Those are the times when my husband kindly reminds me that we rarely get to see the fruit of our interaction - and we'll never know the true results until we get to heaven.

But now and then, don't you just get the urge to know you're making a difference NOW?

What if we could do that by re-evaluating our perception of what it means to share Jesus? As PWs, we interact with a LOT of people. Sometimes more than we'd like. Whether we like it or not, whether we admit it or not, people take notice of what we say and do - no matter how humble or invisible we may be.

What if we didn't worry about counting conversions or wishing we could see how our ministry will affect that person's future?

What if we counted conversations instead?

Conversations about Jesus, or about the things Jesus has done for us and can do for others.

If we're alert, these conversations can sneak up on us in the most unexpected places. Like the young man working at Sally's Beauty Supply a couple of weeks ago when I went to buy shampoo. I had a teen girl from church with me, and he asked if we were sisters.

"No, I'm her pastor's wife," I replied.

"Really?" he sounded interested. "Where?" I told him. "Cool! I just got married, and my wife and I haven't really found a place we like yet."

Mental note to self: never brush past an opportunity to talk about Jesus! "What are you looking for?" I asked.

"Someplace that isn't safe," he replied. "We want challenge, not the boring status quo."

I invited him to check out our Friday night LIFEgroup for young adults - a place of deep bible study, warm fellowship, and yummy food. And I mentioned the yearly mission trips to the Amazon interior that my PH coordinates.

Will I see him again? I hope so, but you never know. Did I "convert" him - definitely not. But isn't that why Jesus gave the Holy Spirit?

And while I don't have a clue what will happen next in his life, I do know that God gave me an opportunity for a conversation. And thankfully, this time, I wasn't too dense to notice.

Counting conversations about Jesus, and making a pact with myself to never pass up an opportunity has not only changed the way I feel about ministry, but it keeps me accountable to the calling God has given me as a PW.

How would your ministry and outlook on life change if you counted conversations?