In the summer of 2023, while going door to door selling books, I had the pleasure of meeting a young man named Devin. After chatting with him about the books I was selling, I learned he didn’t have enough money to purchase one, but he offered me a couple of dollars; it was all he had.
After our brief conversation, I carried on with my day. As I made my way forward, I spotted him heading towards an apartment up ahead. When I got there, I found out he was visiting some friends who lived in the building, so I happily greeted him again and joined the conversation with his friends.
Devin’s friends weren’t interested, but he felt a spark of curiosity to look again at In Search of Peace. As he flipped through the pages, I happily pointed out a quote that said, “You who in heart long for something better than this world can give, recognize this longing as the voice of God to your soul.” After reading that quote, he said, “I wish I had more to give you.” Devin truly recognized the book's value, which made me so happy! Seeing this, I happily gave it to him as a gift and shared how deeply it had touched me. He was thrilled to receive it! I also had the great opportunity to pray with him and his friends, and later on, God blessed me with an abundance of donations for Devin’s gift.
Lessons Learned
During my wonderful summer selling books, I discovered just how powerful reading quotes from books can be. Even when we might assume someone isn’t interested in spiritual matters, God can surprise us and work through the written words. When we embrace our role as co-laborers with Jesus, He lovingly prepares the hearts of others to be open to the gifts we have to share with them.
An important lesson I learned is the value of sharing our testimonies. When I opened up to Devin about how the book changed my life and strengthened my walk with God, I could see how much he wanted to experience that too. It’s incredible to realize that by asking God to shine His light through us, we can quietly paint a lovely image of Jesus for everyone to see. Often, what we convey isn’t just through our words; it’s really our actions and the way we live that speak the loudest about who guides us and is at work in our lives (1 John 3:18).
Call to Action
What is God inviting you to do? I invite you to join me in praying daily for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, so that the Fruit of the Spirit can overflow in your life. This way, you can beautifully and genuinely share the wonderful image of Jesus with your family, friends, neighbors, and the world!
“Ask the Lord for rain in the time of the latter rain. The Lord will make flashing clouds; He will give them showers of rain, grass in the field for everyone.”
Zechariah 10:1
All scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
