I had an opportunity to show God’s love in front of his family and friends. Three months after moving to Atlanta, a friend called my wife to ask if we had an extra room. Jane, a friend of a friend had lost her job and needed a place to stay for a month until she could get on her feet. We had just moved into a large house and had an extra room to share, but the thought of a house guest seemed overwhelming. At first we wanted to settle into the new house before taking on such a large task. Fortunately, God tugged at our hearts and would not let us miss the opportunity.
We agreed to let Jane stay with us and knew immediately we needed to invite her to be part of our family. She lived with us for over a year and what started as an inconvenience turned into a blessing for everyone. God knew Jane would need to have a stable and healthy family, knowing what was coming that year. Jane was in a safe and loving environment when tragedy hit her life. We all witnessed God pour His love out on one of His children. While we did not expect anything from Jane, she ended up teaching us about healthy foods, healthy eating and being grateful.
The blessing of following God and having a positive influence did not end with my family and Jane. It had an exponential effect on our friends who saw the love of Christ lived out. Obediently offering our home to one person ended up blessing many more. How like Jesus to take our small gift and multiply it to benefit others. Our family simply used what we had been given by God and saw how He blessed the situation.