Fighting to hear someone's story

Well, I had an awesome and painful day yesterday...I got my needles for my trip to Botswana...OUCH...suffering from a very sore arm today...but the needles were not as bad as I'd imagined...and I didn't pass out...tehe...so that was good! :D

So, now to the awesome part...after I got my needles I went to catch my train home and I needed to go to the bathroom...there are toilets on the train and if I went to the ones on the platform I would miss the train...but for some reason I really didn't want to use the ones on the train...so I decided to miss my train and wait half an hour for the next one. After I went to the bathroom I felt like buying a muesli bar at the Newsagent...mmm...strawberry yoghurt covered muesli bar....tehe...anyway, I went to buy it and there was an elderly lady at the counter who was being given directions to somewhere by the man at the counter. She looked really confused and then she looked at me and I smiled. She looked at me as if to say 'I think this girl knows!' and she said to me 'Do you know where The Salvation Army is?' I couldn't believe it! I told her I did and asked her to wait a minute while I payed for my stuff and that I'd walk her there. This was going to mean missing another train...but I really felt that this was a God ordained opportunity and that I should walk with her for a while.

We started to walk and she explained that she had a muscular disease of some sort meaning that she needed to walk slow because her legs were sore. That was ok. I felt like I could've walked her to the moon and back at snails pace...God was giving me an opportunity to walk with this lady...I really didn't care how long it took! As we walked she shared her story about how she lives in a housing commission house and she has been through ordeal after ordeal. She had been treated unfairly by several people and her husband had told her to forget about it and get over it. But she wanted to stand up for her rights and she knew that she had to seek help. Hence the reason she was looking for the Salvos. She unloaded alot of stuff, and I just listened. I really think she just needed someone to take time out without their own agenda and just listen to her pour her heart out. I think that most people would have just shrugged her off...but all I could see in this woman was Jesus.

"...whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' - Jesus... Matthew 25:20

We finally got to THQ (yes, that's right Alisha...I went to THQ!! But my mobile was dead...I couldn't call you!) I got to the front desk and told them who I was and who this lady was and he referred me to Street Level in Sydney...ofcourse!!!...I hadn't even remembered Street Level was there. But, I phoned them from THQ and they were shut! I looked at this woman sitting in her seat, tears welling up in her eyes because she knew I was going to tell her she had to wait...but she'd told me already told me where she lived and I knew of a community centre there and I knew exactly where it was...so I asked her if she could get there and she said she could get there easily...so I suggested that she go home and then go to this centre the next day. She agreed.

So, I walked her to the train station again. As I walked with her I told her that she didn't deserve to be treated the way she had been and that God loved her so much and wouldn't want her to be treated that way. I told her I believe that God would look after her and that she would find the help she needed. She told me that she believed that and she told me that she thought I must have been an angel sent by God to help her. I told her it was my pleasure to walk with her, trying not to take any credit for the chain of events, I told her I believed that it was God ordained...I caught the train with her from Museum to Central and then I left her on the train to get to where she was going. She looked at me all teary-eyed and thanked me and told me that it was so great that we had met. I wished her God's blessing and told her that He would look after her and keep her safe and then I left.

I have to say, I left feeling both blessed and saddened. I left thinking about how much of a blessing it was that I had met her...but also feeling so worried that she wouldn't find the help she needed and that someone else may not find the time to give her. So I prayed that God would keep her safe and comfort her and that she would find the help she needed. When I got back to Gosford I quickly went into the office to check my emails. I have my home page set as www.verseoftheday.com and so I looked at the devotions for the day and the scripture reference was: Psalm 34:18

The LORD is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

I couldn't help but smile. I knew that she really was in His hands and that He was close beside her. Part of the prayer to go with the devotions was:

Father, I also ask that you bless those I know who are struggling with their faith, and with broken and disappointed hearts. Please be active in their lives and make your presence known in their lives.

What an awesome God...I had only walked a short journey with that woman and it would have been enough for God to leave it there. He didn't need to tell me the rest...He didn't need to tell me she was ok...He could've just asked me to trust and not know...but He responded to my prayer from earlier that afternoon to tell me that He was, in fact, caring for this woman and that she was safe in His arms of love!

WOW! I feel so blessed to have been there at that moment. To have made such a seemingly silly decision to use a bathroom that meant an extra half hour wait for the next train. To have thought, 'Hmmm, a muesli bar sounds really good right now!' To have been served by a guy that would've got this lady lost. To have smiled at her. That she knew that I would know where to take her. That she dared to ask. That I dared to say yes! That's all it took. A simple yes and a willing heart and what a journey! A short, but blessed one!

Let me encourage you to not look over those less fortunate. Take one of them for a walk. Offer to have a coffee with one of them. Your shout! Take time to let them share their life with you. Don't be scared of the unknown...they smell, they're a stranger...they're a drunk...God loves them just the same! We should too...and remember...

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. - Hebrews 13:2

Bless you all as you fight to bless others!