I was sitting in the steam room, exhausted after a good workout. Satisfied with my daily exercise and sweating out the last bit of weekend excess from my body. I don’t know if it works, but it makes me feel good sitting there sweating for doing nothing.

As I was sitting there two young female students entered the steam room. They talk without pause – without waiting for one another. I was wondering how they could hear each other talking at the same time like that. They were quite loud, not bothering with me sitting in my corner. Their use of language was not quite civilized, on the contrary. I can’t express in words what she wanted to do with her friend who had dropped her that weekend. I didn’t even recognise some of the words, but I suspect those weren’t words that I can repeat here. I was looking for the language button, like the one on the DSTV remote so that I could put it on “family” to get rid of the swear words. Man, that f-word cut right through me like a knife.

Later in the shower I wondered why I hadn’t said anything. I didn’t have to preach to them, because they were clearly not receptive to that. But I could’ve mentioned something about Jesus’ caring. Like the time when Jesus met the prostitute at the well. He didn’t wait for her with a stick or a stone in His hand. No, He looked at her through the lenses of love and corrected her lovingly.

Actually, the two girls in the steam room came to let off steam about guys who messed with them. Yes, they did not put it in nice words, but through all the steam they actually showed their thirst for love. And I was sitting there knowing everything, sitting quiet like a mouse and actually getting so annoyed with them, instead of showing empathy and crying with them because life was messing with them.

Another friend glances in. A sunny butterfly. And in the couple of seconds that she looks through the door she brings a new fragrance. After she left the one girl said: She seems like a nice girl. Yes, agreed the other one, and keeps talking about how big that young girl’s influence in their residence is.

I suspect Paul would have brought Jesus’ love into the steam room. 13We’re not keeping this quiet, not on your life. Just like the psalmist who wrote, “I believed it, so I said it,” we say what we believe.

Just a wakeup call for you and me. Because the Spirit is in each of us who believes. He gives us the authority and knowledge to bring Jesus into other people’s lives. The question is whether or not we do it.

Maybe we should make a conscious decision to take Jesus with us wherever we go. To ask the Spirit to put Jesus’ love lenses on our eyes there where people let off steam in the steam rooms of life. To ask the Spirit to help us not to join in throwing stones or become involved in destructive gossip. No, rather that we may really make an impact in people’s lives. The people will say: She/he is a really nice person. Not because you’re so good, But because the Spirit is working through you.

Click here to go to the Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:7-15

Reflection

Does the Holy Spirit work through you?

Do others hear Him through you?

Do they experience Him through you?

Prayer

Lord, please give me the courage to talk about Your love wherever I go, even there where people let off steam and I criticise so easily. Please help me to be a nice person. Amen