Some time ago I entered a commercial office to arrange a piece of business for my ministry. I waited in line for a while as the server spoke about personal matters to the customer in front of me. As the conversation concluded the customer mentioned something about his wife’s health concerns and the word “cancer” was used.

Immediately it got my attention and so I left the line up as the man started to walk out of the store and followed him outside. I asked him if I could have a word with him and he replied, “Of course.” I mentioned that I was both a cancer patient and a pastor and that was my reason for speaking to him.

I told him that I worked with various people with serious health problems as a pastor and wondered if his wife might wish a visit from someone like myself. Immediately his eyes filled with tears as he began telling me about the lonely road he and his wife were walking. It seemed that they did not have a church connection but they both had a strong interest in spiritual things.

I told him about my website and that they could go on it and subscribe to a daily devotional that is especially helpful to those with problems in life. I passed my card to him with the information he needed to find my website and/or email me with questions about the Christian faith. He became very enthusiastic about our encounter.

“We were meant to meet.” I assured him. I told him that I had spent 5 minutes in my car parked outside the business office trying to get my material ready for processing. Had I gone in ahead of him, or 2-3 customers behind him I would never have heard him speak of his issues. I assured him that the Lord wanted us to meet.

When our verse speaks of “a word spoken in due season”, it means saying something at just the right time. I am confident that all of us as believers have been in a situation where we have, or should have, spoken a simple word of truth from the Bible to the person we were with.

The Lord is constantly involved in our lives as His people and at times He arranges opportunities for every one of us to speak up and offer something from Scripture that would lift up a discouraged person and offer hope to the one who despairs. There are even occasions when others ask us how we are able to endure our own issues. Occasionally we are asked for the reason for our hope in life.

Buy up your opportunities to spread the Good News and bring people to the foot of the cross where real life in this world begins. Take the initiative and ask a friend "why do we celebrate Easter"? Take the Christian celebrations as an opportunity to share Jesus with people who are in darkness and the shadow of death. A smile can mask a lot of pain. We have the privilege of representing Jesus to a needy world. Don’t miss your opportunities.