“When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak because she thought, ‘If I just touch his clothes I will be healed.’ Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her boy that she was freed from her suffering.” Mark 5:27-29
I walked nonchalantly past shack after shack on the little island we visited in the middle of Lake Victoria. Children ran down the beach line to greet us in the little boat we road two hours in to get there. I was overjoyed to see the people who accepted Christ over the four days we camped. They had such a desire in their eyes when we mentioned the name of Jesus, but one man in particular caught me a little off guard. I can’t remember his name exactly so I will just call him Samuel. I didn’t actually ever notice Samuel on my walk through the village, but Samuel noticed me. I was in a hurry to get back to camp for lunch with our translator, and James, our English friend, but was suddenly stopped when I heard a voice from behind me say, “Hey! How come you didn’t come talk to me? Were you just going to skip me and walk on by?” I sat speechless for a few moments, embarrassed to have someone stop me because I didn’t talk to him or her about Jesus. I was out on a mission, yet failed to even glance at this young man. “Um, sorry.” I replied. “Do you know who Jesus is?” I questioned.
I was shocked at Samuels reply of, “No, but I want to know about Him.” I questioned if this could really be happening. Could God have placed this man directly in my hands to accept Him? No forceful questioning, no roundabout methods, and no pressuring. This man had a desire to learn about his Heavenly Father and I had the key to tell him…simply love. Samuel ended up accepting Christ into his life and although I didn’t spend gobs of time building a relationship with this man, I do know Christ had been pursuing him. He desired to know Samuel and have a relationship with him. Samuel had a few questions about God, but ultimately, he just wanted what we had…simply love.
So many times we go through our daily lives NOT noticing people. I think we make it a point to stay in our own little bubbles and until God slaps us in the face with a Samuel, we don’t get a clue. So make it a point, as I will, to approach those Samuels out there who have a desire to know their Creator, but are waiting for you to help them figure out how. Simply love…and God will simply love you back. 
