Living life knowing that all you have is a gift from God to be poured out and given to others is without a doubt, life to the fullest. I say this because one of those daily opportunities crossed my path the other day in front of my car on a downtown crosswalk.
To give you a little background, I was in Lincoln, Nebraska for the weekend spending time with my family and friends before I left the states. It was planned that I would take a bus down to Denver to spend some time with one of my teammates before final departure. I had already purchased the $50 bus fair that would take me there.
Later that evening, through a string of conversations, I found out my sisters boyfriend who at the time, in Lincoln, was heading back to his place in Colorado Springs the same day and would be passing through Denver on the way. He offered me a free ride and of course I accepted. Even though I’m incredibly adventurous, who wants to spend the night on a cramped bus when you can fly down the interstate with open windows and music blaring? Since I was hanging out with Alex, one of my best friends who’s parents conveniently own Arrow Stage Lines, I decided to leave my ticket with him. If he could get me a refund, great; if not, it wasn’t the end of the world.
So here we are twenty minutes later, driving through downtown Lincoln on our way to a swing dancing party to hang out with some friends. Just moments before I had grabbed my bus ticket from the house we were staying at so I could leave it with Alex to take home that evening. That’s when I saw him.
He was young, twenty something, with dyed blue hair and a rock star outfit. The light had turned red and he started across the sidewalk. In his right hand, hanging at his side was a cardboard cutout sign with words etched in black sharpie. It read:
$50 Needed for Bus fair to Denver!
I was stunned! Quickly I read it again to verify what I saw, before rapidly looking to my left where my $50, unused ticket to Denver rested at my side. Immediately I knew exactly why God had me sitting at this stoplight at that very moment in time.
Rolling down the window I shouted for the guy to come over. He quickly ran over as I unfolded the ticket and held it out the window. I asked him if he really needed a ride to Denver. As it turned out, he had been stuck in Lincoln for six weeks trying to save the money. He stared at me, jaw hanging down as I told him when the bus left and handed him the ticket. As soon as it was in his hands the light turned green, we pulled away, and the young man was left standing there, blessed by a gift that was never mine to keep.
As I sit here scribbling in my journal two days later on my friend’s porch, I wonder where that young man is. Did he make it to Denver? I guess I’ll never know. But what I do know is that everyday we are given opportunities to give, serve, and love with out lives; which in reality are not ours to begin with. He gave so we can give. He served to show us what it means to sacrifice. We love because He first loved us.
It’s the reality we were created for. Not to do something outside the box once a year, a couple times a month, or even each week, but to lay down our lives every moment of every day. The greatest joy and fulfillment in life; the greatest leap of adventure is found when one radically gives. Through giving we step out of our own box and enter into another’s life. We die to ourselves to receive something far more satisfying: the life of Christ. And that will never disappoint.
