You Never Know

Have you ever had a thought come into your head and thought to do something a little out your normal pattern? Maybe to turn left instead or go straight. Maybe you thought to call a friend and then found out they were having a bad day and your call was just what they needed. While at the store, maybe you decided to buy an extra can of soup, and then discovered that your neighbor was sick and needed a meal, so you took them the soup. Maybe, just maybe, you've had a thought to go check ton your kids and then discovered that they were playing in peanut butter. No? Just me? Anyway, these little thoughts are known by different names; inspiration, prompting, conscious, Holy Spirit. For  the intent of this post, we'll call it light.

That light can come to us at any time. Usually its spontaneous and unexpected. We then have to decide what we are going to do with the light...use it and shine it on someone or something else, or ignore it, probably because it didn't shine bright enough.

Recently I had a conversation with someone who was in need of help; but help that I couldn't offer. I was over 2,000 miles away and truly unable to help this person at their time of need. Later that same day, I had a conversation with someone else who lives much closer to the first someone. The second someone actually knows the first someone and told me that they had a thought to go visit the first someone--but didn't.

Neither of the someones knew about each others conversations with me. When I learned that the second someone did not go and visit the first someone, even though they had the thought (light) to do so, I felt a little bit sad. The second someone said that the idea came, but it didn't stick around so they didn't think the idea was that important. (the light was there, but it wasn't very bright)

In the end, the first someone ended up getting help, but from a different source.

What this experience taught me is that you never know. You never know if the thought you get to visit, or buy that soup or make a call just might be the answer to someone else's prayer or hopeful wishing.

You never know.