No witchcraft over here! Listen in to Joni talk about how she shared some Bible verses to a pleasantly surprised Costco employee.
SHAUNA: Hi, this is Shauna on Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope. Well, Joni, does it amaze you as much as it amazes me that God actually calls us his ambassadors?
JONI: That’s right. You know that’s from 2 Corinthians 5. And basically, it means that while Jesus now intercedes for us in heaven, we represent him by bringing his good news to people who do not yet know him. And that’s what an ambassador does. But what does an ambassador do in the everyday, ordinary things of life? Whether you’re at the supermarket, or you’re meeting at work, or relating to a neighbor, you’re at Kohl’s or Walmart or Costco. Okay, so, let’s take Costco for an example. I’m an ambassador for Christ and I’m at Costco. I went there recently to be tested for hearing aids [yes, I need hearing aids at my age and, yes, my ENT doctor said that Costco hearing aids were just as good as any, and a lot less expensive]. And so, I struck up a friendly conversation with Patricia, the Costco audiologist who, by the way, did a very good job thoroughly testing my hearing. And during that time, I told her about my work at Joni and Friends and how we distribute wheelchairs and Bibles. Now, when it came time to go back to Costco to pick up my hearing aids, that same audiologist did a great job of fitting them to my ears, and then adjusting the settings.
And when Patricia fine-tuned the last knob, suddenly, everything sounded so crisp and clear. And I went, “Wow!” How did you do that?” And she replied with a wink and a wry smile, “Ah, witchcraft!” And I shot back, “I don’t think so!” [She knew where I stood]. And before I departed with my new appliances, I commented to Patricia how pleased I was with her work, and then I said, “Ma’am, I would like to give you a blessing from the Bible. God says in the book of Ruth in the Old Testament; he says, ‘May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord. The God of the Bible.’” And the woman was slightly taken aback with surprise but also pleasure. I asked her if I could request her services when I came back for a checkup. And she smiled and nodded. So, when I return to see Patricia in a month or so, I’m thinking of giving her a small gift, maybe a copy of the gospel of John.
And I share all this because like me, you probably shop like I do at Walmart, or Kohl’s, or Costco, or wherever. And I wonder if when we are pulling up to the store and parking the car, do we think – do we actually believe that our sovereign God is giving us this opportunity to represent him to the people that we’ll meet? Do we remember that in everywhere and in every circumstance, we are an ambassador of Christ? If we don’t actually believe that, then may I suggest that we should? God has you among people that you encounter in order to, in some way, point them to Jesus. So, smile, be kind, look for ways to make people a little thirsty for the precious Savior that you represent. If a store clerk has been courteous and helpful, then share a blessing. Offer them something like 2 Corinthians 9:12 which expresses gratitude for their service. There are all sorts of ways to commend people to Christ.
And may I say that as you do, as you go out and be Christ’s Ambassador, I offer you a blessing. If you represent Christ well in the smallest of ways, “May the Lord repay you for what you have done.” And that is your blessing from Ruth 2.
© Joni and Friends