When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?”
“Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied. – 2 Kings 2:9, NIV
“My summer internship fell through,” Leslie said, her eyes focused on the floor. “I know it’s short notice but do you have a place for me?”
Annette studied the college freshmen before her. She didn’t feel like she had time to take on anything else. As the ministry leader of the megachurch, training the younger woman would take hours of her time.
She was tempted to say ‘no.’ The girl didn’t look like she’d put up much of a fight if she was rejected. Take her in, a voice in Annette’s spirit urged.
‘Where will I find the time?’ she thought.
She is precious to me, the spirit urged again. Annette gave Leslie her best smile, “I’ll give you a trial internship. If we work well together, you can stay on through the rest of the summer.”
From that day forward, Leslie closely shadowed Annette. Every summer, she’d come home from college to work at the church. When she graduated, she was offered a position as Annette’s personal assistant.
As years passed, Annette’s health worsened, and she knew she would need to step down. But when she looked at Leslie, she knew God had already prepared the woman who would become her replacement.
“God let your first internship fall apart because He knew you’d be needed here,” Annette told Leslie. “Now, what kindness can I show you?”
Leslie smiled, “The only thing I want is a double portion of your spirit.”
Prayer:
God, help me to be willing to invest in others. When I’m tempted to think about how many hours it will take, let me remember that all my time comes from Your hand. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
