I have been praying since Murray's sermon last Sunday.  I prayed that my family would open our eyes to more situations where we can give people a 'sample of the Kingdom'. This week we have been smiling and saying thank you to the guy at the service station, to the girl at McDonalds and to the lady in the shop who was cranky for me bringing in three children to her shop as I left I said "Thank you for having us" and then she apologised and said "Sorry, I have been having a bad day I didn’t mean to snap at you"

The most remarkable thing happened yesterday. 

I am new to the bus network and have been shocked by the lack of respect on public transport.  Pregnant women standing on full buses and a man sitting while an elderly man stumbles around.  This is a different society to what I thought my world would have turned out to be.  I have been wondering and honestly doubting if anyone could ever change it.

Yesterday afternoon my boys and I were travelling home on a bus we don’t normally catch.  We knew this bus would be busy.  We arrived at the City and the bus was filling with people. My boys 11 and 10 have been versed plenty of times about standing for other people, for respecting older people and we have been talking a lot this week about giving people a sample of the Kingdom.  The bus was full and for the first time my eldest son stood up, taped a lady on the arm and said "Excuse me, would you like to sit down"

She was so surprised and seemed like she didn’t really know what to say. He said "Please, sit" She sat down and said with her face beaming "thank you." Then looked at me and said "thank you." Before I could reply a young man sitting on the opposite side of the bus stood and said to a lady standing "Please, sit" she wouldn’t have seen what had happened over our side of the bus and she smiled and said "thank you very much" Then another man, for another lady. Then another. Then another. Then a young girl for an older lady.

By this stage I was crying. And so was the first lady my son had offered his seat to. With that simple offering, my son had given something more than his seat that day. He gave hope that our world can change with a sample of the Kingdom.