S6 E14 - A Special Note from the Front Desk

Welcome back after an extended break! We had a wonderful and wonder filled past three weeks. 

There are so many lessons I want to share wih you from our trip to California...but there is one in particular that you absolutely need to hear. It comes in the form of a note from a front desk of a hotel, and it reminds us that anyone who loves God and loves others can make a profound impact on this world. 

#SetYourMindAbovePodcast

Transcript

What if I told you that God could be seen in the most ordinary things every day? 

What if I told you that every day, ordinary events could teach us extraordinary eternal truths? Would you believe me? 

 Welcome back to season 6 of the Set Your Mind Above Podcast! My name is BJ Sipe, and I am a Christian, a preacher, a husband, and a father. In our next few moments together, we hope to learn some of the most important lessons from some of the simplest things in life. Thank you for taking this journey with me.

Welcome back after a very extended absence from the podcast! We have had a wonderful and wonder filled past three weeks as a family. Our last episode dropped about a month ago, right before we started our first gospel meeting in Lexington, KY before then flying out to our second meeting and vacation just outside of Anaheim, CA. To say I am encouraged and refreshed would be an understatement. I was so built up by my time with both churches, and both congregations were special in their own ways. Tustin was personally very special to my family, though, as that is where I was born and where we attended with the saints when I was very young. There are individuals that go back generations with my family, and to get to reconnect as well as make lifelong friendships was so spectacular. If you followed along with my personal posts, you saw the crazy extremes that we saw on our trip as well. We saw everything from 95 degrees on the beach to 15 degrees with ice and snow in the mountains. We saw everything from rattlesnakes and lizards to bears and abundant deer. We saw concrete jungles and cascading waterfalls. Palm trees swaying in the breeze and 300-foot-tall sequoias towering over dense fog. If you have never been out West, you simply have to go if you’re able – you’ll never regret it. 

There were so many teaching opportunities with our children as well during the two weeks we were away out West. If I had counted them up, we would likely have enough material to finish off the entire year of this podcast just making the applications that we could from this trip alone. I’m not going to do that to you though; I’m going to save a lot of those special moments for my children alone for them to remember and teach others themselves. But there is one lesson, one very unexpected lesson, that I did want to share with you from our trip. 

The church at Tustin was very gracious and put our whole family up in a hotel only about 10 minutes away from where the church met for worship. It was also a great central location for many of the local things we wanted to see and explore. Well, when you spend 9-10 days at a hotel, you start to get to know the staff that is there day after day and night after night. You see them at breakfast, as you come and go, when you need to restock towels for the 15th time, etc. One of these workers was named LaTisha, and she struck up a wonderful relationship with our children. Our kids would stop and ask, “Is the nice lady working today?” and we knew exactly who they meant. Every time we would pass the desk, she would stop what she was doing to give the kids some kind of treat as well as visit with them about their day. She was wonderful.

Well, on our very last morning staying there as we were checking out, she asked me to come back to the desk and see her before we loaded up and took off. I looped back around and LaTisha had put together an entire gift basket for the rest of our trip with the kids – filled with all kinds of snacks, toys, and fun gadgets to keep them occupied in the car. But what stopped us in our tracks were three personalized notes that she addressed to each one of our children by name in the bag. When we got into the car, we opened up one of the notes – and this is what it said: 

“Dear Little Friend, 
 
 Thank you so much for staying with us during your vacation! We had the BEST time having you here. You brought so many smiles, laughter, and happy moments, and we are so glad we got to be part of your special trip. 
 
 You have been such a joy to have, and we hope your adventure was full of fun, wonder, and great memories. Always remember – you are kind, special, and loved more than you know!

Here is a little message from the Bible just for you: 

‘Be kind and compassionate to one another.’ – Ephesians 4:32

We hope you keep shining your bright light wherever you go! Come visit us again someday 😊 
 
 With big smiles, 
 LaTisha / Embassy Suites 

(You make the world brighter!)” 

…we were both stunned. Tears filled our eyes as my wife got out of the van to go back inside and hug this precious little woman that we had bonded with over the week. Never did we ever expect to receive such a kind, encouraging, and spiritually directed note from the staff of our hotel in the middle of a big city in California. I’m so thankful for LaTisha…but I’m also so thankful for my children. They might be young, they might have a great amount to grow in being just kids…but even in their youth, by the way they love God & love people, they can make an impact on others in this world. As a matter of fact, there were multiple times we were stopped in a store or a restaurant during our trip and asked, “How are you children so well behaved?” to which we would reply, “It’s because they love God and are learning how to love each other and others too.” 

So many times in our lives we can assume that because of this or that reason, we cannot make an impact on others or bear fruit for God. After all, that’s a job for elders and preachers and “super Christians” (even though there is no such thing). Be it because of our youth, our lack of education, our social status, or even our gender, we can fool ourselves into thinking, “I can’t make a difference.” But my friends, Scripture tells a very different story. 

Perhaps you’re one who has thought, “I’m too young to make an impact on others, I’m just a kid!” You’re in very good company – because countless times God used mere youths who loved him to accomplish his will. I am reminded of the Lord’s words to the young prophet Jeremiah in 1:4-8, “The word of the LORD came to me: I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born. I appointed you a prophet to the nations. But I protested, “Oh no, Lord GOD! Look, I don’t know how to speak since I am only a youth.” Then the LORD said to me: Do not say, “I am only a youth,” for you will go to everyone I send you to and speak whatever I tell you. Do not be afraid of anyone, for I will be with you to rescue you. This is the LORD’s declaration.” Jeremiah believed that because of his youth, he could not be used by the Lord as a prophet and influence the nation. But it wasn’t about Jeremiah – it was about the power of God who was behind him! Time would fail us to speak of Joseph, Daniel & his friends, Josiah, Timothy, Titus, and more who were all very young – but made a tremendous impact on those around them on account of their faith. 

Perhaps it’s not your youth that you feel stands in your way, but rather your lack of education or lack of social status that does. I can’t tell you many times I’ve heard someone say something like, “I’m just a country bumpkin,” or “I’ll never know enough to really make a difference.” I want us to call to our mind who Jesus chose as his apostles for a few moments. Outside of Jesus, who made the most profound impact on this world? Was it not these men that the Lord hand chose for this incredible task? Certainly, these were men of great learning, status, and power…right? Wrong. Look at Acts 4:13, “When they observed the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and recognized that they had been with Jesus.” These are not educated or powerful men – they were fishermen. They had received no formal training like the religious elite of the day had done. On the surface level, anyone would have looked at Peter and John and thought – “they can’t make a difference.” But it wasn’t about them – it was about the Lord who was working in them and through them. Never for a moment believe that God cannot use you because of your lack of status or education – so long as you have a love for God and strive to continue to submit to his will, you can and will make a profound difference on others. 

Or maybe it’s even your gender that is holding you back. Clearly as outlined in Scripture, God has given different roles to both men and women – with leadership roles in the church being exclusively held by men. As a result, I have met many women who have thought that simply because they were a woman that they could not have a real impact for the kingdom. I have even had to have conversations with my 7-year-old daughter about things of this nature. My sweet ladies, nothing could be further from the truth. Time would fail us to speak of all of the women that made profound and unmatched impacts on the world around them through their faith. Women like Rahab, Jochebed, Ruth, Mary, Lydia, Dorcas, Elizabeth, on and on we could go. But for now, let’s look at two women in particular: Lois & Eunice, the grandmother and mother of Timothy. We read in 2 Timothy 1:5 Paul’s words to the young evangelist, “I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and now, I am convinced, is in you also.” And again in 2 Timothy 3:14-15, “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed. You know those who taught you, and you know that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” To the best of our knowledge, Timothy grew up with an unbelieving, Greek father. How then did he learn about the Lord? It was not from his father, but rather from his grandmother and his mother. Together, they taught and formed Timothy into the incredible faith filled young man that he was. The impact that was made on the kingdom on account of Timothy can first be traced back to the work of Lois & Eunice. Stop for a moment, all of you, and consider all of the godly women that have made an impact on your life – where would you be without them? Would you be the same person you are today? I know I wouldn’t. We desperately need godly women in the world today – and they make all of the difference! 

My friends, this is the point. Just as we look through these podcasts at how everyday, ordinary things can teach us extraordinary eternal truths – we must realize that God uses everyday, ordinary people to do and teach others extraordinary eternal truths. So long as you’re willing to let God mold and use you, you can and will make in impact in this world and on others around you. Don’t let anything stand in your way as a barrier – let your light shine brightly! The world is watching, and through you, the beauty of Jesus can be seen in a lost and dying world. 

This has been season 6 episode 14 of the Set Your Mind Above Podcast – and I’m so thankful that we had this time to grow together! A new episode is dropped each Friday of the week. If you’re able to, go ahead and like and subscribe to the podcast, give us a good rating, and tune in next week. Even more important, share the spiritual truths that we learned today with someone else. And more than anything my friends, always remember the following: know that I love you, that God loves you, and may we all each and every day set our minds above.