5 Minutes

Since my foot surgery on Wednesday, February 4th, I have spent more time on Facebook than my usual.

It has been really interesting and fun. I've talked with friends from the present and past. I've got to connect with people in Tennessee, Washington State, Las Vegas and China, just to name a few places.

I've loved the interaction.

One of the interactions has been through a question I posted regarding how can we help diminish unwanted pregnancies. Through this question I have had a conversation with someone about how to handle this need.

In this conversation, a question was posed back to me that I would like to share with you and then share my response to that question.

Here's the question posed to me:
Let's say you've got a young lady who is going to have sex and you find out about it. You've got 5 mins with her, what do you do? She has lived a short life of immorality. It's all she knows, doing what her Momma has always done. You can't change that lifetime in 5 mins... so you have a choice, give her a condom and try to prevent an unwanted pregnancy or refuse to give for whatever reason. If she gets preggo, it's on your head! Don't you see? We can't change everyone. If you are a teacher and gain their respect, you might have a chance. If you are really against abortions, you have to prevent the pregnancy in any way and every way possible.

Here was my response:
To think that some one's life cannot change in 5 minutes...is really hard for me to even fathom. Any one's life can change in an instant (and I'm not trying to be some freak optimist here).

I'd like to give you a scenario for a moment.

There is a young lady that all she has known is sexual encounters with men. It's her life. It's her job. One day as she is in the middle of another sexual venture, she is pulled out of the room and dragged down the street and thrown into the middle of the road.

All of the sudden, she is the center of attention and the topic of a theological debate. "This woman was caught committing adultery and our laws say that she is suppose to be killed. What would you have us do?"

Everyone stares at one man. He says nothing at first and then he drops to the ground writing something. Then he responds, "if you're perfect, you kill her."

The men slowly all walk away, leaving this man with this woman. "Where are your accusers?" She sees no one there and then hears these words, "I don't accuse you either, go and sin no more."

I believe that this encounter took around 5 minutes and the Bible shows us later how her life was changed from this one encounter, from just 5 minutes.

She was changed because Jesus gave her a better story to live and she embraced this new story.That's what is so amazing about grace - it can change your life in an instant.

Maybe your young lady in your scenario is looking for a different way but just doesn't know it exists. You have 5 minutes to show her that there is a better way, an amazing way of life.

No, we cannot change everyone, but we can change one at a time. You never know how many that "one" can change later!

I hope all of you that read this remember that 5 minutes can make a difference and change a life!!