Knock, knock, knock, knock. Every Thursday afternoon I hear the same incessant beat on the back gate of our school property. I am the only one who hears it, because we live right inside the gate.
I could be frustrated by it. I know that it's young boys, knocking to come in for the afternoon soccer training that some of our staff members do every week.
But I thank God for the privilege I have to open the gate for them. Many of these boys come from broken homes, from parents that suffer addictions. These young men are making a choice with their time. I am glad we can offer a safe, healthy option. Apart from having one of the only soccer fields near by, we also have the rare gift of staff who have a heart for the neighborhood boys. They can give them godly examples and disciple them towards a surrendered life for Christ. Loving soccer doesn't hurt, either.
Today there was another knock, as usual. I went and opened the gate. There was a sweet-faced young boy, excited for the chance to play soccer. We exchanged greetings, and with a quick, "Gracias!", he ran off toward the soccer field. Behind him trailed a whiff of cologne. (That's pretty typical with ticos. They love to be clean and to smell clean.) I smiled, and I was glad he could have the chance to train.
We heard a sermon on Sunday and the guest speaker talked about the chance we have to make a difference. He used numerous Biblical examples, asking questions such as: "Do you think that Jocabed, Moses' mother, when she wove a basket for him and put his tiny body in it and laid it in the river, knew that he would be God's instrument to save His chosen people out of 400 years of slavery? Do you think that the little boy who gave his 5 small loaves and 2 fish to Jesus knew that Jesus would do a miracle and that many people would come to faith in Him that day? What about Rahab, when she saved the spies? Or Ruth, when she went to glean in the fields to help her mother-in-law? Did they know what awesome consequences their obedience would bring?"
So many little things in life can make a difference for eternity in the life of another. What can I do today? I may never know the effect of my decisions. That's okay. God sees, and He can use our little steps of obedience to bring others to Him.