By Anita Mondragon

 

In this day and age, the devil has many attractive devices to distract us from our real purpose.  He offers these things and demands nothing from us but our time.  

 

The thing we all fail to understand is that when a moment is gone…it’s gone for good.  There is power in a moment.  A smile, a friendly glance, a mere “Hello!” can change the course of someone’s outcome. That moment could stop a person from committing suicide.  

I remember one time we stopped at a 7-11 to get some Big Gulps because the heat was unbearable.  I saw a homeless man sitting off to the side with his head in his hands. We were in a hurry to get to an appointment and we were late already.  I heard God say, “Ask that man if he’d like a cold drink and maybe a sandwich, and when you approach him, call him ‘Sir’.”  My husband and son were already inside, but I walked over to the man and said, “Hello sir!  I was wondering if you’d like a sandwich and a cold drink. ”  The man raised his head and the look of despair disappeared from his face.  He actually looked at me in astonishment as he replied, I would, thank you!  And thank you so much for calling me, sir!  I haven’t been called that for a long time.”

 

My point here is that we all need to slow down and listen to the voice of God.  There are folks in desperate need of our kindness!  

 

The devil will offer you a future where YOU are the center of attention.  God offers you a future where OTHERS are the focus.  Joy comes from serving others.  Our daily lives should be lived in this manner:  JESUS, OTHERS, and YOU!  Get it? J esus,  O thers,  and  Y ou = joy.