Then he left and went to the home of Titius Justus, a Gentile who worshiped God and lived next door to the synagogue. Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, and everyone in his household believed in the Lord. Many others in Corinth also heard Paul, became believers, and were baptized. One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him, “Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent!”  Acts 18:7-9  NLT

Famous and I said good-bye to our next-door neighbors this weekend as they moved to another home in town. For several years they had been wonderful people to have living beside us. They had their own menagerie of cats and dogs, so we often passed them when we would take our walks. But they were especially kind to Famous and often looked after him when I had to take a trip out-of-town.

On the day of the big move we passed them early in the morning as they began the packing. They were preparing for hired movers to assist them, so I assumed they would be in and out all day. But they were not! Once the movers arrived I failed to see them return to the house, and I was fearful to have missed the opportunity of telling them one last time how much they would be missed. They did return the next day to gather smaller items (and cats) which they had not taken for the first night. It was then Famous and I hurried over so as to catch them and wish them well. They kindly said they would continue to help with Famous if I ever needed them, but I was already acutely aware of how much I would miss our frequent conversations and stories.
Even when we live according to God’s Word, there are times when we cannot see the fruits of our labors. In fact, because we often measure outcomes by our own eyes, we miss the miracle of the Holy Spirit empowering the faithful to work together for the Kingdom. We should never doubt that the good we perform in simple daily tasks is being multiplied by God. We should seize every opportunity to share our hearts, appreciating the fact it might be our only opportunity.

Direct my feet not to stumble or hesitate today, God, when I hear Your directions.

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