Sharing is what Facebook is in the business for. Everything from baby announcements, wedding photos, and how many hotdogs you thought you could chow-down in 5 minutes. But there comes a time when all of that fun and fluff mean nothing compared to an email you open-up in the middle of the day.

I thought it would be a continuation of pleasantries between I and an acquaintance that I had only gotten to know about a year ago or so. And even then, it wasn’t like we hung-out all the time or anything. She was a sweet lady who went to my church back in California, who I’d bump into here and there. I knew her mainly through her family business, but it was nice to see how she and the fam were doing, exchanging prayer requests and maybe a hug. I was not expecting to find out that those moments were needed so much, especially currently as trial after trial was hitting her family back in Cali.

The Facebook email was long, and as she stated at the end, it was very much her spilling her guts out. As I read, I realized that she wasn’t just telling these prayer needs to any random person, she was revealing this all to someone she considered a friend! Sitting back, taking each word in, I honestly didn’t know what to do.

“How do I respond? Do I write back right now or wait? What if only I was still there in the area?”

It would be easy to let the email sit there, unanswered for a day or two, while I beat myself up. Beat myself up about not reaching out to her more or even connecting and hanging out with her more.

But sometimes you have to run from the easy and go to what God is leading you to do. I mean, if you really want to be guided by God, then stop resisting and just Do. It could be simply by responding to an email exactly like this. It could giving that hug to the person who you know just needs it! However God guides you, respond, and respond with love.

An email encounter that opened your eyes? Always feel free to comment/respond at Nikki@kvne.com