The Impact of Inconvenience

Living with a Christlike presence in our relationships, specifically when it's inconvenient, allows us to reflect His love and truth to others. So as backwards as it may seem, an inconvenience on your end isn’t designated as a squandered moment, rather, it provides an opportunity to impact someone’s situation.

I’ve come to learn this truth from the overflow of Godly men and women dropping the million of other things they had to do to simply sit with me, listen, and speak wisdom into my life - and ultimately, draw me closer to Christ. What a beautiful picture of Christ’s character.

Here’s how Paul captures this in Philippians 2:5-8:

"In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: who, being in very nature of God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!"

To live the way Christ lived, you have to understand the attitude of humility. That is, valuing the interest of others over your own and laying aside your desires for the opportunity to serve others and draw them closer to Christ.

Think about it, Jesus “...humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross!” The impact of such an unfathomable inconvenience? Everlasting life in the presence of the Most High King for all who believe.

It turns out inconvenience and impact go hand in hand.

So when you put the kids to bed and finally have fifteen minutes to yourself and get a phone call from that one friend – answer it.

Or when you’re enjoying some day-off fun and your brother asks if the two of you can meet up to talk – take the time to be present.

Trust me, even if a conversation is the last thing you have time for, please don’t take the practice of presence lightly. Missing a meal or a workout will always pale in comparison to the opportunity of impacting a soul who will face eternity someday.

“It is my commitment to suffer with you, just as Christ suffered for me.” [Paul Tripp]

So my question to you is simple: what if we started viewing inconveniences as opportunities to reflect Christ’s love and truth to others? I can tell you right now our relationships would look a lot different. We’d see an influence in the communities we do life in. And above all else, we’d see those around us experience Christ in a tangible, eternity- changing way.

May we look forward with eager hearts to the opportunity of being inconvenienced for Christ’s glory.

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