Pace yourself
When we start looking for opportunities to convoy, we'll be prudent to think about pace. There are always more things to do and more people to deal with than we have cycles to give. In the Tony Dungy video we saw a couple weeks ago, the coach was asked a question about filtering the overwhelming number of requests for his time. He said when new requests come his way, he asks himself three questions -
Does it glorify God?
Am I uniquely qualified to do it?
Is this something no one else can do?
One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles. -Luke 6:12-13 (NIV)
It seems odd to talk about limiting our opportunities to convoy after all the emphasis we have placed on looking for them, but hear me out. One of the remarkable things about Jesus was even though He was God, He subjected Himself to the limitations of a human body to provide a model that is practically instructive for us. Look at this progression that demonstrates His approach to discipleship.
Jesus loved and served people wherever he went, with no regard for their nationality, gender, wealth, social status, or past history. Some were responsive, others were not.
After He had a good-sized group of people within His sphere of influence, He prayed about next steps.
Coming out of that time of prayer, He selected twelve men who He would invest in more heavily.
Out of those twelve, He chose four who became His closest confidantes.
After three years of living life together, He released those men to replicate the process.
So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come. -Psalm 71:18 (ESV)
If we can take the divine example of Christ, and apply some of the coach's wisdom, a picture starts to emerge. We are image-bearers of God, in the process of transformation into Christ-likeness. That will be evident as we go about our lives. In that process, God will bring certain people across our path whom we are specially equipped to have a more profound effect upon. This could be due to proximity, shared experiences, shared passions, or the fact we are related to them. By abiding in Christ and becoming sensitive to His leading, those opportunities will start to become evident, both in the who and the when. Jump into those. That's where Kingdom is built.
But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. -Hebrews 3:13 (ESV)