Pass The Sunshine

This morning was not a good morning.

I ate something last night that didn't agree with me, my mind was swirling until way past midnight, and I just didn't have the good night that precedes a good morning. My family is up at Lake Tahoe for the day, having fun and goofing off, but for me, there is still much work to be done, and not all of it the fun kind of work. I like work when it's fun. But the work that feels like work, that's just... work.

I had scheduled a phone call for this morning with someone I hardly know, another church leader whom I had met at a training I attended in April. I really didn't have much in the way of expectations before the call, and as out of it as I was feeling this morning, I wasn't really seeing my expectation level moving anywhere. When the time came and I made the call, I was pleasantly surprised by the enthusiasm and the encouragement that I received. It was literally 35 minutes of non-stop ideas, encouraging words, planning for possible future ministry, news of God's kingdom moving in unlikely places, and by the time we ended in prayer, I was a different man.

Amazing what a little encouragement can do. I thanked God for my call with Patrick, big time.

Then, in my Priority Time, I read 3 John, a tiny little book with a personal and powerful message. Verse 11 said, "Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good." That's direct. There's so much that we emulate in our lives that isn't good, and John says to choose better. Choose to copy the good we see in the world. Imitate, emulate the positive, Godly things we see. So I'm going to imitate Patrick. He encouraged the daylight INTO me, and according to God's word to me today, I need to copy him. So I'm going to pass the sunshine today.

Join me? Who can you encourage today? Who do you know needs a lift? Don't be stingy, give all the encouragement you have to give. I promise, there will be more tomorrow.