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A Lesson in being Missional

Posted by Mike Boyink

We were at the Salvation Army store the other day, picking up a used couch for my office.  After I pulled the car and trailer up to the door and got out to walk in the store, I followed in a slightly older couple.  I sensed he was watching me, and as soon as I started pulling the cushions off the couch, he was there, asking if I needed help carrying it out.  I declined, saying I had my wife there, and carried the cushions out to the car.  Coming back in the store, I saw that he had engaged Crissa in conversation, something along the lines of “disliking shopping so much he’d rather carry heavy things”.  Once again he offered and I accepted, and we carried out the couch and put it in the trailer.

Then he handed me a Bible tract.  And, contrary to my usual reaction, I didn’t have a problem accepting it.

I think this guy is onto something.  Rather than walking up in my driveway and interrupting me while I’m busy washing the car and on a schedule to get somewhere (like a book club..;), he found a way to break the ice a bit first.  And I’ll bet he’s more successful because of it.

I’m not sure I’ll ever be a “tract-hander-outer”, but I think there’s a lesson here in how to be more missional in the day-to-day stuff that fills our lives.

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