I was enjoying breakfast on my deck, enjoying the beautiful, warm summer morning, watching the sun brighten the eastern horizon, amidst scattered upper level clouds. I had finished my bowl of fruit, and I set it aside, as I read my Bible and daily devotional.
A fly had found the empty bowl, and he cleaned up what I had left. Of course, I noticed him; his body glistened a metallic green in the sunlight. He caught my eye. I studied the little fella, as he poised himself on his six legs, his gossamer wings extended, ready to fly at a moment’s notice. He extended his mouth parts and began mopping up the little bit of fruit juice I had left behind.
How curious! This little guy needs the same food groups that I do, for we are both living creatures, “living off the land,” as it were, for our survival. We are both of the animal kingdom, and we need to get energy to power and rebuild our bodies from food made by other living things. The difference is this little guy has to get his food in liquid form. I am equipped to ingest my food in other ways.
Ornithologists (those who study birds) can tell you a bird’s diet, based on the form of its bill! A goldfinch and a robin cannot eat fish, any more than a pelican and a heron would dive into a field of seed-bearing plants! God has equipped each of them for special diets and has given them a unique method of ingesting food.
People, made in the image of God, have a “God need” within them. All of us seek communion with God, our Creator. Anselm described this quest as a “God-shaped hole in our hearts, that only God can fill.” Solomon was inspired to write, “He has made everything beautiful in its time, also He has put eternity in their hearts, …” (Ecc. 3:11) Paul described this “God quest” within all of us, by describing how God created all things, so as to motivate man to seek Him (Acts 17:27).
How do you open the door to another’s “God need?” People take in information differently, just like the creatures of this world take in food energy in their special ways. All physical beings have a need for life-giving energy. All people have a need to have God in their lives.
Our Apostle Paul, who loved all people, learned to think like those he sought for Jesus. He learned how to put the Gospel in “their language,” so that they might understand and accept the message from God. (See I Cor. 9:22 – 23.) When you invite your friend, listen to what they value. That’s how they take in information. Speak the Gospel in those terms. They’ll listen!
Oh, the lessons God has put in His world!
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