Come on, there's room for you, too

Religius Views, by Dorothy Coltharp

Have you ever walked into a crowded room, looked in vain for a place to sit and stood squirming in a spotlight of discomfort? Suddenly you heard a cheerful voice. "Come on over, I'll make room."

Do you remember the glow, the warmth as you snuggled into a tight little spot opened up just for you?

Look at 2Corinthians 7:2a. The first phrase says "Make room for us in your hearts." Haven't you known the joy of that very special feeling that accompanies the action of making room in your heart for someone? Look around you. Is there one who needs to hear "Come on over, I'll make room?"

Remember the great encourager "Barnabas?" He tapped into God's resources and made himself available. He didn't sit back and analyze techniques. When he saw needs, he ministered. He had a servant's heart.

He didn't write any books in our Bible, but we do see results of his encouragement, especially in the Gospel of Mark.

We all need encouragement sometime. Maybe we will feast at His table and receive His precious promises as encouragement, or maybe we will delight ourselves in the Lord as we encourage others.

Proverbs 17: 22a says "A cheerful heart does good like a medicine." What cheerfulness is mine when I open up, reach out, speak up and let you know there's room in my heart. What joy for the lonely, the frightened, the sick and hurting, the needy.

How can we understand the extraordinary power of our wonderful God? How can we understand the miracle of you and me?

Do you know that we can make room in our hearts again and again? One more can squeeze in, and one more and one more, and never will there cease to be room. Do you realize that God gave us hearts as big as all outdoors?

Put furniture in a house and soon it is full, there is no more room. You can put one quart of liquid in a quart bottle, no more.

If your car has a 10-gallon gas tank and you need 20 gallons to make a trip, it is useless to try and put 20 gallons in before you leave. The tank will still hold only 10 gallons.

Not so with our hearts. There is no gauge to register full, never a "No Vacancy" sign and reservations aren't required. My heart will never be filled to capacity. I can always say "Come on, there's room for you right here."

One human heart is small enough to be held in a surgeon's hand, large enough to hold an entire world in love.

Come on, there's room for you right here!

Dorothy Coltharp is a Wasilla resident who is a frequent contributor to the Religion page.