Date: 9/9/2008
<br>Author: Devin Pickard
<br>Title: 5 Minutes
<br><br>Someone went out of their way this morning to say something nice to me....and I really appreciated it.  It would have been just as easy for this person to simply let their thought be a passing one and forget about it....but they didn't.  I am sure this extremely busy individual had a full day planned with plenty to do, but they chose to spend 5 minutes making sure that I knew how they felt....and as far as I am concerned, it will be the most productive 5 minutes they will spend the entire week.  <br><br>The person of whom I speak has known me my entire life.  They have known the good side of Devin and the not-so-good side of Devin.  This modern day Barnabas has encouraged me throughout my years far more than they will ever know.  I have received from this person uplifting e-mails, hand written letters, and phone calls.  I have sat in their presence for counsel on more than one occasion and without fail always left feeling much better than when I came.  I feel honored to be able to call this person a friend....and I believe I could call them that at any hour, day or night.<br><br>Now, having said all that, is there anyone who could say the above about you?  When was the last time that you went out of your way to be a blessing to someone?  When did you last take 5 or 10 minutes out of your precious schedule to encourage  a person who was obviously having a difficult day?  Or, when was the last time you patted someone on the back for a job well done?  The “what's in it for me” syndrome has been around since the very beginning of time.  By nature, it seems that mankind at his most basic is generally very selfish.  We tend to not be very concerned about any one else as long as everything is OK in our camp.  The most help anybody ever gets from some us is a half-hearted “I'll be praying for you”.  Now, I am certainly not minimizing the importance of praying for those who are hurting, no not at all.  But, for a bunch of us, the phrase “I will pray for you”, is simply a cop-out that is really saying, “I'm sorry, but I don't have time for you” or “You are really just not that important to me”.  It is far easier in the day in which we live to find someone who would rather give you $10 than 10 minutes of their time.  I never read of Jesus giving anyone a dime out of his own pocket....he gave them something far more precious....he gave them his time and his undivided attention.  <br><br>If I give someone money, I am giving them something that can easily be replaced.  If, on the other hand, I give someone a little bit of my time, I am giving away something that I will never get back....so I need to make it count.  The person who I speak of above will read this soon....you know who you are.  I want you to know that not long after you gave me your five minutes, that God gave me opportunity to pay it forward with someone else.  I hope I did just half as good of a job with them as you did with me.  And by the way, if you are ever looking for someone to give that 5 minutes to again, you know where to find me.<br><br><br>Go the extra mile - Devin