Availability

One of the characteristics of a faithful witness for Christ is that he or she is available. That availability, first, has to do with being open to the leading of God's Spirit. We intentionally put ourselves at God's disposal, purposefully offering ourselves as an instrument of God's grace, hope and peace in our daily experiences. Those who are familiar with the story of Philip in the New Testament Book of Acts will recall that he was available to the Spirit's call to enter into conversation with the Ethiopian court officer who was reading Scripture along the road. The man did not have a full understanding of the text, and Philip was able to help him see what it meant, which led to his believing in Christ. It may be that Philip had other things to do, but because he was intentionally available to God's Spirit, someone experienced God's grace.

The disciple's availability, too, involves being open to, genuinely present to the people who may approach us with concerns and questions. These are not necessarily expressed in spiritual terms, but they most often have a spiritual dimension, when we are alert to that. Listening carefully to what is said, and to what is not said, is part of this availability. Noticing the expressions and body language of the person with whom we are visiting is another level of this listening. We're paying attention to someone else, putting our own agenda on the backburner for the moment. In that availability there is the possibility of developing a friendship that can lead to constructive change and spiritual renewal. This level of availability is seen most clearly in the accounts of Christ's interaction with people he met day by day. His model of being truly present with folks inspires and informs our own availability.

It isn't easy to remain realizingly available to be used by God, and it isn't always convenient to be available to others. But are we willing to give it another try?