(If you haven’t read part one, you can read it here.)

‘Go and talk to Hayley.’

It was mid-morning and I was just about to sit down to read my Bible and write in my prayer journal, when this thought popped into my head. Again, I knew it was God…

* * *

Hayley is my next door neighbour, and the week before, I had bought her a bunch of flowers. I was on the way home from church, after a “Community Engagement” seminar with guest Pastor, Paul Bartlett. (Author of the book Thank God it’s Monday [#TGIM] and Pastor of Lighthouse Church in Woolongong, NSW.)

I dropped into the shops before heading home, and while I was there, I saw a bunch of flowers marked down at half price. I heard God tell me, ‘Get them for Hayley.’ I picked them up and gave them a closer inspection. They still looked in good condition and I felt that they might be the type that Hayley would enjoy.

…I would like to tell you that I put them in my trolley straight away.

But I didn’t.

(Why! Oh, why! do we hesitate??!!)

I told myself, ‘I will get them at the end of my shopping.’ (As if that would make a difference?) God told me, ‘If someone takes this bunch, you’ll have to buy a full price one.’ (He had a point.) Anyway, I bought the flowers and when I got home, I knocked on Hayley’s door. I gave her the flowers, saying, ‘I was at the shops when I saw these, and I thought of you.’ She was very moved that I would give her such a gift, and commented that no one had ever done anything like that for her before. (Which I thought was incredibly sad. How many people out there have never received a gift, “just because”?) She then was trying to think of all the ways she could repay me, but that wasn’t the point. We chatted for a little while, and with the promise of coffee, I went home.

Fast forward to a week later and God saying, ‘Go talk to Hayley.’

It went something like this:

God: Go talk to Hayley.

Me: Now?

God: Yes.

Me: Ahh, okay…But what do I say? I’ve already used the “I’m thinking of you” excuse.

I didn’t want to come across as the creepy, too friendly, Christian neighbour.

God: Take your cup of tea and do your devotions on your front veranda.

I quite often do this on sunny days. Luckily, even though it was mid-winter, today was one of them. I figured God had a good idea here. Perhaps Hayley would come out for a smoke and I could talk to her then.

So I go outside and start writing in my prayer journal.

…Five minutes later? Hayley comes outside!

Me: Hi Hayley.

Hayley: Hi

We get chatting about our week. She mentions that she has a sore back. We talk about the lovely sunshine etc.

Seeing that I am busy with my journal, Hayley doesn’t want to distract me any longer.

Hayley: Well, I’ll leave you to it.

As she turns to leave, I get a (reckless) idea…

Me: Hey, can I pray for your back? Is that okay?

Hayley: Sure. That would be lovely. Thank you!

I say a quick prayer, she goes back inside, and I am left to my prayer journal with the biggest grin on my face.

God + timing = perfect.

When I started this journey of Reckless Obedience, I thought it would be full of moments like this. But up until this point, there weren’t really any other moments of which to speak. And even when it came to this one, I wasn’t even thinking, ‘I must obey, because I promised Reckless Obedience’. I just did it.

But isn’t that the point?

When someone does something reckless, and this time I mean stupid or dangerous, you might later ask them, ‘why did you do it?’ Their response will usually be, ‘I don’t know. I just wasn’t thinking.’

I thank God that I didn’t stop to think about whether I should pray for Hayley. I thank God that I just did. Had I stopped to think, Hayley would have gone inside and it would have been too late. (Unlike with Janine, here, I wasn’t going to get a second chance.) I didn’t even stop to think whether it was my idea, or God’s.

And that, I think, is the secret. When we are so in tune with God, we don’t even think, ‘God told me to…’ we just do it and later realise, ‘Oh, that was you God!?’

I prayed that I might become more reckless in my obedience to God…

What He did was draw me closer to Him.

In John 17 v 21, Jesus prays for you and I. (Just think on that for a moment!)

…that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. NIV

As big as the grin was on my face after Hayley left- it wasn’t about me… ‘so that the world may believe.’

When we make ourselves available to God, all for His glory, amazing things can- and will- happen.

I still have a long way to go on this journey of Reckless Obedience. (Such a long way!) But I thank God that, this time at least, I got it right.