Impact List

Last week I was sitting at church in the First Wednesday service listening to Jeremy talk and trying not to fret over my precious angel that was using the empty section next to me as her personal play space. He was talking about all the ways that we can serve and be connected to God at Christmas and not get caught up in the busyness of the holiday season. One of the things he was talking about was a personal Impact List. That is a list of all the people that we would come in contact with over the holidays that we knew needed a personal relationship with Christ.

As I sat there I began to think, "Who is in my circle that needs a personal relationship with Christ?" I became convicted by the idea that I really didn't have any relationships with non-believers. I work in a Christian university, not that I am naive to think that because it is Christian everyone there is a Christian. The majority of my friends attend church somewhere, most of them were seated around me. I don't see my family and the majority of them are believers anyway.

As I sat and stared at my blank piece of paper only one name came to mind. The name of someone I am just getting to meet. The name of someone I had a long conversation with the day before about this very thing. The name of a friend's soon-to-be-ex-wife. As I sat there and prayed that God would give me the names of people that I could have an impact on the only name I could think of was this name. I began to argue with God and tell Him that there must be others that I could develop a relationship with. There must be others that I could impact. Others that weren't so controversial, someone else that I didn't stand to lose so much for. But instead of giving me other names He just kept saying this name over and over again, louder and louder.

I am waiting on the "perfect" opportunity to approach her, the "right" words to say, the friendship to grow "stronger". At least that is what I am telling myself, maybe I am just waiting. Wondering why God puts the "difficult" people in our paths to impact. Wondering what it is going to take for me to make the move.