Have you seen the movie Eagle Eye? Two seemingly random people are thrown together by a mysterious voice that keeps calling them with instructions. They end up working this wildly elaborate plot in supposed service to their country. I won’t ruin the ending for you (and it’s not relevant to my point).
The thing that caught my attention is the when the voice calls them for the first time. She gives them a directive and then says, “You’ve been activated.”
They are unsuspecting, normal people whose services are needed because they are in the right place at the right time.
I think God calls on us in the same way sometimes. We are going about our daily routines and “bam,” we’re called into service.
“You’ve been activated”
Last week I was heading to work when I got on the subway at the normal time and normal place. An older gentleman sat down and began to talk to me. Now, if you are familiar with NYC subways, you realize that no one talks to each other…usually ever…especially in the morning. The thing about this man is that he wasn’t annoying. He was 73 and he had chronic pain in his back. He was on his way to physical therapy in Jersey City where the doctors do not have any other options for him except live with the pain. He kept saying “I just don’t know what else I can do.”
Almost immediately I knew that God said, “You’ve been activated.” I thought, “Lord, You don’t want me to pray for this man on the quiet train, do You???”
It got even better when the man explained that he had seen a preacher on TV the night before talking about healing and he had called, but couldn’t decide whether to go…he wanted to know if I believed things like that could happen. First, I thought about how the Lord has a sense of humor. I told him I knew God could heal Him and give him a miracle. I have seen it myself.
I still didn’t know if I should pray for him on the train, but it turned out he just needed someone to tell him he should go to the church. Sometimes God just needs us to give people a prod.
You just never know when you’ll be activated. But, rest assured, God has activated others for you and He will use you if you are willing. If you and me are paying attention.
Do you have an “activation” story?
Great. I’m a robot.
Actually, I have a story. I was on one of my last night train-riding expeditions because I had no job at the time and I was bored at home. So, I just rode the subway trains during crazy hours and get home, like, around 3 or 4 am. Sometimes, I end up in conversations with people on the train or platform, which is weirder than in the morning since, you know, the freaks come out at night.
Well, one night, I saw this lady crying while walking the platform at the 8th Ave. 42nd Street Station. I asked her what was wrong and motioned for her to sit next to me. I actually put my arm around her as soon as she sat down. She explained to me that her mother has just passed a few months ago and since she was a huge part of her and her childrens’ lives, it was a very hard loss, especially for her. It turns out that the rest of her family weren’t so devastated by her mother’s passing and she was burdened with planning the funeral and taking care of her mother’s estate all by herself. What made matters worse was that one of her sisters were taking her to court about the estate. All this plus working around 70-80 hours per week and taking care of her children finally made her break down in public place.
We took the E train, which was great since we both live off of it. I told her that I don’t have all the answers and the most I could do you is listen in hopes that it reminds her that there are people, even strangers, who are willing to help her in times of need. The conversation turned towards her faith in God. I told her that there is nothing she couldn’t handle if God let it in her life. I told her that God is a loving God and He wants her to be better than well and that maybe the circumstances are just as hard as the blessings she will receive are good. It seemed that my stop came up just as soon as her smile remained consistent.
I never saw her again but I’m sure she received the message: that she will be okay. No matter how strong our faith is, we are still human. The human body can only tolerate so much without external reinforcement such as sustenance, moisturizers, and soaps. I believe that the human mind and soul act the same way. Sometimes, we need positive reinforcement from others to inspire us to be better and stronger. (Remember, descriptions of serial killers suggest that they are loners.)
Timing is everything. I’ve heard that “He doesn’t always come through when you feel you need Him, but He’s always on time.” Well, at the time of the incident, most people (including me, usually) are asleep. I was awake that night because I felt the need to search for something. I don’t entirely know what I found but it was definitely something.
I guess I was activated.
Arthur, that’s a great story. It’s amazing how opportunities to help people open up if we’re paying attention. I must admit that I check out a lot of the time, too (lest you think I was a superhero:). I’ve just been trying to be aware of people instead of automatically putting my headphones in or getting engrossed in a book.
Thanks for your comment!
Hey ben it’s Michael. Long time ago in a galaxy far far away we were best friends. Like to rekindle that fire we had for god that I’ve forgotten somewhere along my journey. Trying to get involved with a local church and give my life to christ. See your folks ever so often and they say you’re doing well. Got the same number if you wanna text or call. (334)791-1140. Miss ya bro