Available to Be Used by God

This morning, on my way home after dropping my children off at co-op, I noticed a car stuck in a ditch. Michigan has had quite the winter, and the roads have been a clear reminder of that. As I passed by, I saw a woman outside the car, trying to dig herself out while a small child sat in the back seat.

I kept driving.

But almost immediately, that familiar nudge came - the quiet prompting that doesn’t shout or demand, but gently insists. Pay attention. Stop. Be available.

I pulled into my driveway, standing in that familiar tension between obedience and hesitation. The last couple times I had acted on what I believed God was asking me to do, the outcome felt like a dead end from my earthly perspective. No visible result. And yet, there it was again - the invitation to listen.

So I made the decision to go. Not because I knew how it would turn out, but because I wanted to remain available to God - even when obedience felt uncertain.

As I gathered my winter gear, another thought came to mind: Bring them hot chocolate. The day before, my family had gone sledding, and I had made a batch of homemade hot chocolate. There was still some left in the fridge.

Immediately, my practical mind dismissed the idea. That’s unnecessary. Just go help.

But the thought came again.

So I listened. I reheated the hot chocolate, poured it into a thermos, and headed back out, feeling that mix of anticipation and curiosity - Lord, is this what You have for me this morning?

As I crested the hill, I saw she was still there. No one else had stopped.

I pulled over and approached her, simply saying, “Hello, I’m here to help you.”

She told me she was in her seventies and had been trying to get her granddaughter to school. She shared that when she stepped out of the car to dig, she slipped and fell, ending up on the ground. Even then, she said, cars continued to pass by without stopping. By the time I arrived, she told me her niece was on the way and not far off.

I offered to drive them wherever they needed to go, but she assured me help was coming.

Then I remembered the thermos sitting in my car.

I told her I had brought hot chocolate and asked if she and her granddaughter would like some. Her face immediately softened into a wide smile - pure delight. In freezing rain and twenty-two-degree weather, something so simple felt like an unexpected kindness.

Photo by Arūnas Naujokas

She asked me how I had time to do something like this.

I told her, “I’ve learned that God wants me to be available, and I try to listen to Him when He shows me how He wants me to use my time.”

After a few grateful sips, she thanked me and assured me they were all set. Before leaving, I placed my hand gently on her shoulder and said, “May the Lord bless you.” She passed that blessing right back to me.

I returned home deeply thankful - not because everything worked out neatly, but because I had listened. Because I had made myself available.

“Man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” Proverbs 16:9

Availability rarely fits cleanly into our schedules. That morning was one of the few stretches of uninterrupted time I would have all week - five full hours to focus, catch up, and work through my to-do list while my children were at co-op.

And yes, I worried about what wouldn’t get done.

But I rested in the peace of knowing I had stepped into God’s to-do list.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10

I have the heightened realization that my children are watching how I live my life for the Lord. They see obedience lived out in real time. They see that following God doesn’t always come with immediate results. They are learning that faithfulness matters - even when the outcome is unseen. Recently, after another act of service didn’t seem to pan out, my twelve-year-old gently reminded me: Maybe God just wanted to see if you would do it. Don't let that discourage you mom!

That truth has stayed with me.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5

So today, I want to ask you:

Are you making yourself available to God?

Are you beginning your day with an open-handed prayer - Lord, I’m available. What do You have planned for me today?

We may never see the full impact of our obedience, but Scripture reminds us that God is always at work beyond what we can measure.

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us.” Ephesians 3:20

Sometimes God uses the simplest things - what we already have prepared - to bring warmth and care to someone else. If you’d like it, this is the homemade hot chocolate recipe I keep on hand for winter days (our family thinks it tastes like a chocolate bar).

www.allrecipes.com

Best Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate

This best slow cooker hot chocolate recipe makes a cozy, warm, creamy, chocolaty drink that's served straight from the crockpot at holiday parties.

Our lists can wait. Our plans can pause. When the Lord invites us into His work, we step into something eternal.

How extraordinary it is that God allows us to partner with Him - to be used, right where we are, for the work He has already prepared.

May we remain attentive to the still small voice. May we trust Him with our time. And may we live available, ready to say yes, even when we don’t yet see the outcome.