In a post-COVID world, it seems like more and more “STOP” signs are being posted with new rules or regulations we must now follow in order to prepare ourselves before we are allowed to go any further in any establishment. This is true even in student ministry at Orchard Hill Church. We now have “STOP” signs hanging all over the place telling students things like where masks are required in order to play certain activities or steps they must take before simple tasks like getting a drink of water.

One of my favorite things to do while talking with students about the Bible is to try and attach new meaning to every day ordinary things we see and use throughout the day in order to remind us of God’s word. For example, as we talk about the Feeding of the 5000-miracle found in Mark 6, I will use 7 Snickers bars to symbolize the loaves of bread and fish in the story. I place the candy bars in a basket that has a small slit in the cover that students cannot see but underneath the cover are tons of additional Snickers. I pass out the original 7 candy bars to a few “lucky” students in the front row but as I continue to reach back in the basket, my hand slides into the unseen slit and I keep pulling out more and more of the same candy bars! Student’s faces are usually a combination of shock and confusion but quickly change to joy as they too get free candy. I do this until everyone in the room gets a candy bar and all are “satisfied”. I then ask them to never look at a Snickers bar the same again. What used to be an ordinary piece of candy could now be a reminder every time you see it that Jesus offers our hearts something more than anything in this world can satisfy.

A close family member of mine was recently in a life-threatening accident. As we visited this person we love very much in the hospital, the doctor prepared us that there was a real chance the individual was not going to make it through the night. No one ever wants to receive that kind of news. But the worst part about all of this for me personally, was that I could not say for sure if this person believed in Jesus.  On top of that, no one was allowed to see this person in the ICU because of new COVID-19 regulations.

The weight and guild that I felt on my heart as the situation unfolded was overwhelming.

Death, especially the death of a loved one, is something no one wants to experience, but as Christians, we can find hope even in death because we know that through faith in Jesus, we shall have eternal life. I had numerous opportunities over the year to stop and have a conversation about faith with this person, but for various reasons or excuses, I chose to let them go.

As I sat in the waiting room of the hospital, hoping, and praying, I was reminded of the story of Lazarus found in the Gospel of John 11. As Jesus arrives on the scene, he stops as he sees Martha running out to meet him. The conversation that follows between Jesus and Martha is recorded in verses 21-27.  In this conversation, Jesus shares with Martha the Gospel summed up in two verses then asks Martha the question, “Do you believe this?”

The primary thing on my heart during this time was praying and asking God to heal this individual so that I could stop and have one more conversation, that they could hear the Gospel and be asked the same question, “Do you believe this?”

Thankfully, good news came in the next few days that this family member was going to make a full recovery. While this brought such excitement and ease to all of us who had been so worried, I took great joy personally in knowing that I would have another chance to stop and share the Gospel with this person I love.

Now, looking at every day ordinary “STOP” signs has taken on a whole new meaning. In a time when signs are constantly forcing us to stop and think about WHAT we need to stop for… I now see stop signs as a reminder in the form of an acronym, for WHO we need S.T.O.P. for.

S – SOMEONE
T – TALK
O – OPPORTUNITY
P – PRAY

So, my question for you is simple: Who are you stopping for? Who are the people that you need to identify as Someone who you need to Talk to and take advantage of an Opportunity to share the Gospel with them and then continue to Pray for them? Who are the people in your life that God has placed in your heart and on your mind? Who are the people in your life that you see on a regular basis but for whatever reason or excuse you have not stopped to take advantage of the opportunity in front of you to talk about how Jesus has changed your life? These people could be close family members, neighbors, co-workers, friends, teammates, or even random strangers that God has placed in front of you.

My encouragement to you would be to start by making a list of 3 people that you could begin to pray for by name for God to create an opportunity and to give you the strength and courage to stop and start a conversation with them. Share about how the Gospel has impacted and changed your life as you put your faith in Jesus. Allow them to share their thoughts on Jesus and then simply continue to pray for them. If we continue to look at stories of when Jesus chose to stop and talk with people, those people’s lives were forever changed as they came to know and put their faith in Him. Let every time you see a “STOP” sign now, not just be a reminder to stop your car or to put on your mask, but also to remember that there are people in our lives that we need to stop and take time to share with them, the good news of God’s grace in Jesus Christ!