Life is a fascinating gift given each of us. We had nothing to do with our making. We are molded by our upbringing and shape one another's lives as we spend time together. Values are developed. Perspective instilled. And we use these to continue moving through and finding life in life. Different things move us. We shy away from things that are hurtful (if we can), looking for things that give us pleasure, bring comfort or add joy.
For the most part, people, most people are beautiful to me. I like hearing laughter and seeing genuine hearts interacting with those they are with. I often wonder who they are and what they do. As a grandpa, whenever I see grandparents with their grandchild I get a little giddy thinking about how magical this relationship is and what a joy it is to be the grandfather of an amazing two year old grandson. When I see the romantically inclined, I am thankful that I have a wonderful relationship with an amazing partner whether I am with her or not, remembering the quest and moments of loneliness wondering if I'd ever find such a woman. And again, I repeat myself, I am very thankful for her enduring presence in my life. She, knowing and seeing all my warts and shortcomings chooses to stay with me, making her the most valuable of people in my life.
In my previous blog [1] I wrote a bit about communication and relationship. When I am people watching I am only guessing about who they are and what they do. I have no relationship to them other than being in the same proximity at the same time. But that doesn't stop me from praying for whomever God places on my heart as I see them. I especially pray for those I see with a bit more regularity, like Donna mother of two, checker at one of the local grocery stores we shop at. Or any Lowe's employee I used to work with when I run into them at the store or in the community. And, of course the better I know someone and their circumstances, the more ammunition I have as I hold them before God.
If it were up to me, I'd love to learn more about all the people passing me or me passing them as I go through my days, but it just isn't possible. Maybe I'm just strange but life, the life I see in people is a fascinating gift. We are all given this gift for a brief time. Pressing through our days, we have choices to make and things to do. Many of my friends know about and have personally experienced my 'prayer life', and I think God desires pressing more and more of my direct 'God conversations' into their lives. What fascinates me as much as people watching is that when God asks me to pray for some stranger or people like Donna (the checker) or Steve (at Lowe's), they are absolutely clueless about it.
Even more clueless? The couple at the mall, without wedding bands, might get my request, to God, that they find the way to build a solid, healthy relationship together and with Him. Or the grandmother shopping with the daughter and granddaughter, my asking God to continue developing their lives to make powerful investments as part of our world. I often ask God to develop deeper, healthy life affecting relationships as these people continue with the life they've been given. I also ask that they too might come to an understanding and relationship with the one who gave their life to them, giving His life to move them through this one on to the next with Him, you know, Jesus?
Our days are precious commodity. Our thoughts, our actions speak into the lives of others as we move through our days and the relationships we encounter. Many years ago I asked God to make my then pastor a man of prayer (he confessing he didn't turn to God first from the pulpit) and God told me to stop concerning myself with Him, telling me He wanted me to become a man of prayer. I used to wonder how someone could 'pray continually'. [2] However, as I am led through my days, I find myself interacting more and more with the God of the universe, He leading me through and around those to whom He has given life. So many beautiful people in relationship to so many more I do not know, they making differences it their relationship with others.
Yesterday a complete stranger approached me as I was flying my kites. We conversed about kites, both of us making them when we were younger) and a little about science, his girlfriend getting him hooked on the science channel. He was probably about my age and for a brief time we were in relationship, complete strangers, he moved to approach me as I flew. His risk garners my prayers as I blog. Prayers for his relationship with his girlfriend and that they find out how amazing it could be when God is part (if He is not now), for He created science and I see His fingerprints all over our world.
So now, you who ventured read, know I am a people watcher. Maybe that is why I don't like crowds; Too many people all gathered into one place making it too hard for me to find people to secretly connect and pray for. Or maybe it's just because I don't like crowds. I am thankful for the relationships God builds in my life. I get to be in the presence of so many amazing people many strangers, and I am confident that I am missing out learning about all the wonderful things going on in the lives of all the people I meet and see. And then it hits me.
Maybe part of the heavenly bliss will be this; an eternity to discover and know about all the fantastic things God developed in the lives of His followers through out history. Maybe one day in heaven, the guy who came up to me flying my kite will recognize me, or I he. Maybe it will occur with Donna or Steve or any of those I prayed for or with here on earth and the discovery of my prayers for them or other's prayers for me being crucial reason for our presence together for eternity, because we were people watchers listening and engaging our God as we moved through life and our prayers joined God's desire that they not perish.
Okay, so this is pure hyperbole, and maybe evidence of my deranged way of thinking, but wouldn't it be cool if there were a heavenly gathering of all the moms or dads who diligently asked God to lead their child(ren) to spouses who would trust God to lead them through their lives and we all got to learn of how God worked in response to their prayers? Or for there to be a gathering of all those who prayed for you, you having infinite time to learn of the timing and import of their engagement of God into your life? Maybe that is one of the many reasons heaven will last for eternity, we will get to see and understand all of God's workings in all of our lives, worshiping Jesus for all He did!
I don't know. Do you believe in the power of prayer? Prayer isn't asking God to be the heavenly Santa Claus responding to our every request. I have learned that prayer is seeking God's heart for those He has given life to wondering what He plans to do with and in them as they address the things He throws at them. My prayer for each? That they discover the beauty of wonder of the amazing God who gave them great gift, their very gift of life, and the power, His power that might be unleashed as we, His children converse with Him. I am thankful to be a people watcher, but mostly I am thankful for a God who asked me to be a people pray-er. What does He want from you?
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