This is Fred.

He used to be a common fixture around our house out in the country… and he wasn’t alone.

Back in the fall of 2009, my in-laws were passing through town on their way to Florida for the winter. They thought that since we had recently moved out into “the country” that our house would make for a good place for their “outdoor” cat (Maggie) to spend the winter.

And Maggie, unannounced to us, knew how to make friends – or at the very least, attract other cats – as we’ve had no less than 6 other cats that began to frequent our front porch or back fence… (I was starting to fear our new neighbors might think we are ‘crazy cat people’).

While most of the cats came and went, Fred (as I began to call him – creative, I know) became somewhat of a permanent fixture on one of the chairs on our front porch. He was there most hours of the day and seems to be a bit on the rugged side. I don’t know where Fred lived, or where he went on those rare occasion that he wasn’t on our front porch… and to be honest, I didn’t really care.

I didn’t often give Fred much consideration (not being a cat person and all) unless he looked like he was about to try to enter our home… then Fred got much more of my attention than he probably wanted!

And while I didn’t care much for Fred, he did get me wondering about my (our) ministry on campus… and the “Freds” in our world.

Those individuals who have become so commonplace in our ministry settings that we unknowingly pass them by without much consideration.

Those students who seem to always be around, yet because they have never engaged us, we don’t bother to reach out to them.

I find myself today needing to pray for fresh eyes to see the “Freds” in my midst. Those whom I unknowingly overlook… those whom God may very well have brought my way for a specific reason.

Increasingly I’m convinced that it’s an issue of stewardship… and if I… if we, are not proven faithful with a few “Freds,” then we will likely not be given the chance to be faithful with many more.

And I wonder…

Is it possible that the key to unlocking the flood gates to our ministry might have more to do with reaching the overlooked than it does reaching the well-connected?

I’d love to know what you think!