After work, I worked on painting the theme Bible verse on the wall in my husband's martial arts gym (a work in progress for a month now) but didn't finish that either. Another frustration.
After running errands, I stopped at the after-hours deposit at our bank and noticed a woman walking down the sidewalk with a Taco Bell bag and wrapped up tightly in an old coat and hat. She seemed to be in her 60's. I briefly considered asking her if she needed a ride anywhere but chickened out thinking the usual, stereotypical excuses: "What if she asks me for money? What if she uses the money on drugs? What if she holds me up or tries to rob me while I'm depositing money in the ATM?"
And then, in the blink of an eye, she appeared next to my car. I swear, one minute she was fifty yards away, and the next, she had walked up the incline and was approaching my car. And she asked for a ride. The exact thing I had felt "nudged" to offer. I only thought a second before agreeing. I know, I know, you can tell me all you want it could have been dangerous or it was stupid, and maybe you're right.
But it just...felt...right. I can't explain it. She looked harmless, she didn't seem drunk or high, she was small, frail, and old. It's 36 degrees currently - how could I say no? She was crying, and one of her arms didn't seem to function properly. After I helped her in the car, she explained how she had lost the function of that arm because she was prone to seizures. She said her name was Tanya, and she was so thankful for how warm my car was. We stopped at a gas station, and I gave her what spare change I had for a drink to go with her dinner.
Then we drove to the house where she was staying. No lights were on, and when I asked if her friend was home, she said yes, but they hadn't had water or electricity for a year. My heart broke. I helped her gather her bag, wished her a happy new year, and she thanked me for the ride.
As I drove home to my warm house, running water, and dinner of leftovers of the bounty God has given me, I said a prayer for Tanya. And I thanked God for the opportunity to do something that scared me, that maybe I wouldn't have done without this challenge, without this desire to change my portion of the world.
Was I able to give her electricity or water? No. Was I able to ease her suffering? Not in the long run. But for a moment, Tanya was out of the cold, off of her feet, and knew that someone cared about her and about her well-being. A fellow human being, a fellow traveler on this long road called life stopped to lend a hand.
Today's challenge: do something that scares you, something out of your comfort zone, something you wouldn't normally do. It might not seem big or important, but it is to the person you bless. Bring someone out of the cold and into the warmth of love.
No comments:
Post a Comment