While sitting in my car listening to a Christian radio station the other day, I heard someone say, “God is looking for people who are FAT.” I thought to myself, “Here am I, Lord!” Then he explained that FAT stands for Faithful, Available and Teachable. God can use people like that in surprisingly miraculous ways. God isn’t looking for people with all kinds of experience, advanced degrees or specialized training and He certainly isn’t looking for someone who is perfect. When He finds someone who is faithful, available and teachable, He will place them where they need to be and teach them what they need to say or do. I pray that I qualify not only as fat, but as FAT as well.
“God said, ‘Let there be light and there was light.’” (Genesis 1:3) Jesus said, “But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.” (John 9:5) Not only that, He also said we are the light of the world too and we are strategically placed to make the best possible use of our light. Like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden or a lamp on a lamp stand to give light to everyone in the house. (Matthew 5:14-15)
I have written about this experience before, but it is a perfect example of being strategically placed by God. I was starting a new career as a pest control technician at the age of 40 and unsure how God could use me in that capacity. A call came in from an older lady with a pest problem and I was sent to help her. I inspected her home and sat with her at the kitchen table telling her what I planned to do to solve her problem. Then I told her I would need her help with one thing. In order to do a thorough treatment I would need to treat her closets and I needed her to remove the clothes. There was dead silence for what seemed like an eternity as she looked down at the table. When she finally looked up at me, she said, “You are a believer, aren’t you?” I was stunned. I felt kind of like a spy whose cover had just been blown. I responded, “Yes, I am. Why do you ask?” Then she said, “My husband died nearly a year ago and I haven’t been able to make myself take his clothes out of the closet and donate them. When you said that, it was as if God was speaking to me through you telling me that it is time.” I was thinking about treating procedure, but God used my words to give her the encouragement she needed. I will never forget that sweet lady or the lesson I learned about God strategically placing us for the benefit of others. Let us shine our light wherever God has placed us.