I had just unloaded the suburban and filed all the kids into our local children’s museum, (basically a one-room play area a local church put together for outreach). “Finally, I get a break,” I thought, settling down onto the couch. I’m currently nannying four children eleven and under, which makes for some long days and their share of chaos!

I quickly realized we weren’t the only ones there. At a nearby table, a grandma was sitting watching her four-year-old grandson play in the make-believe kitchen.

It was as if the Spirit prompted me, reach out to her. When the opportunity came, I struck up a conversation.

There wasn’t anything crazy that happened that day. Although I did make it clear I was a Christian, I didn’t get to draw the bridge illustration on a napkin. Or discuss the ins and outs of her theology. Or invite her to church.

Instead, the Lord used that “chance” encounter as another reminder that the person in front of me is not there by chance at all. Whether it’s the clerk behind the counter or the 13-year-old girl who shows up to a dinner I’m at, or (more likely than not on a given day) the strong-willed, four-year old I babysit, I have a chance to care, listen deeply, and minister Christ through my words and actions.

In this world of constant texting and Instagram feeds, it’s hard to pull yourself away and actually be all there. Even when I’m not on my phone, I find that my mind quickly wanders far away—wondering about the future, worrying about an issue, or turning inward to how I’m feeling.

That wandering, while seemingly harmless at the time, adds up to thousands of lost moments each day when I could be ministering to those around me. After all, the work of the Spirit within never stays within. It bears fruit, the fruit of gentleness and genuine love and sacrifice for others.

Who has the Lord placed in front of you today?