There was potential for the conversation to be awkward. I’d never met her before, and I knew nothing beyond what my pastor had shared. She visited our church a couple times prior to the pandemic, and was longing for community. I don’t love talking on the phone, but I made the call anyways. And wouldn’t you know, I found a treasure when I stepped beyond my discomfort. We connected in a sweet way. Her story reminded me of how God will always pursue His children. And I prayed for her right there on the phone. Praying over the phone has always made me uncomfortable, but I felt a prompting and I’m trying to be more attentive and obedient in those situations. And you know what? Jesus was there, extending grace and hope and binding me in community with this new friend. I hope I get to meet her sometime soon in person.
Earlier in the day, I started to rip the carpet off our stairs. Our house came equipped with the newest and cheapest carpet on the market. We’ve barely been in the house 5 years, and the carpet already looks and feels like what we had in my first apartment. And that apartment was nothing special, I assure you. I took a risk and a pliers and went to work. Under the disgusting, matted carpet, I found beautiful wood stairs! I was thrilled. Our stairway is going to be so much cleaner and more appealing when I finish pulling out all those pesky carpet staples and apply some stain and paint. I can hardly wait.
So I learned today, in two very different ways, that sometimes we need to take a risk in order to discover something better, something deeper, something more beautiful. My day was almost typical. I could’ve ignored the invitation to make a phone call, and I could’ve just vacuumed the stairs for the thousandth time. But I would’ve missed out on some pretty great treasure. Do you need to take a risk this weekend? To step beyond your comfort zone? To make a phone call to someone new? There might be something sweet awaiting you on the other side.
Thoughts from The Yellow House 