Humanity in all forms flows around me here in the busy Calgary airport, where I sit reflecting on my weekend.

Enjoying a beautiful view of the Rockies.

Eating Chinese food (one of the many perks to large airports… actually having a good food court!)

Waiting on my connecting flight.

And yes, forgive me, observing people.

I’m meeting a few other followers of Jesus…

Praying for the hurting souls going by as I hear the fragmented snatches of their life stories…

Reading hopelessness in so many eyes.

I think back to a comment that was made in the Sunday school discussion at the church I visited on Sunday.

“We are all God’s children,” she said, “it’s just that some people don’t know yet who they are. They need us to break down the walls, see them as His just like ourselves, and introduce them to Jesus. They need to know where they belong.”

Spending so much time in crowded airports this weekend has given me hours of time to decide what to do with.

Is a four hour layover simply “time to kill?”

Time to sleep? (Considering the late – that is, wee hours early- hour I’m expected to arrive home, yes, some of that layover was for sleeping)

Time to simply relax? Me-time?

It could be fully spent sleeping, shopping, indulging at various cafes, or even scrolling.

Yet my Father instructs me clearly in Ephesians 5 that I should be “redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.”

The central purpose of Christ’s ministry on earth was to make a way to draw all of humanity to Himself.

If He was willing to die for that cause, it’s clear what His will is. He wants us all to come to Him.

With such a clear message, how then can I not spend this time praying for eyes to see each opportunity to reach out? Courage to seize the opportunities as they appear? And wisdom to speak in each moment I am called to speak?

I know that God provides all these needs, because He has before, He is answering today, and He always will… if I simply show my willingness by asking Him to work through me.

It might seem futile or insignificant, but I know that God sees what I don’t see.

If my words and actions are directed by the One Who knows the needs of each heart, the slightest interaction is probably more important than I am aware of.

And even if I feel that a few simple conversations aren’t enough to combat the evil and brokenness that is rampant in a Godless society, no one here is too much for God to redeem.

No one is too lost for Him to seek out and find.

No one is too far away to be unworthy of His love…

Because we are all His.

Lord, convict me to carry Your Truth, Your Light, and Your Love wherever I go… make my broken self a useful instrument in Your perfect hand. Give me the courage to share the truth of all our identity to those who are searching for the place where they belong!