Along the Way (08/22/2024)

I left home with plans for two simple errands, but I’ve found that life rarely unfolds as planned. At my first stop, I met a young mom worried about how she was going to provide for her family. At the second stop, I spoke with another about the loneliness of being a newcomer. And on my way home, I stopped to speak with a woman on the sidewalk and listened as she shared her journey with her terminally ill sister. And I remembered all over again, we’re human beings, not human doings. Our tasks take the back seat to our being in the moment.

As I spoke with the young mom, I recognized her worry. It was familiar. I’d worried myself years ago when I hadn’t the money to care for my family. And yet we managed. I listened to her concerns. I let her share her experience. When she cried and said, “But I don’t know how to do some of this, I don’t know if I’m doing it right.” I spoke from experience, “That comes with being a mom. We want what’s best for our children, but there is no manual with all the answers.” I tried to reassure her that her love for her children would be what they remembered more than the things around them. And I told her what I really believed, “The LORD knows you are a good and loving mom.” As I drove to my next stop, I prayed for the mom that she might feel the LORD’s loving presence and the Spirit’s lead.

As I spoke with the woman who was worried about a newcomer to our community, my mind flashed back to all the moves my family made and how difficult it was to make friends. We talked about what we could do as a community to welcome the newcomer authentically and caringly, not just a surface “welcome.” I remembered all those who authentically welcomed me along the way and made room for me in their circles and in their lives. I promised myself to reach out to the individual for conversation and even dinner with my family. And I prayed for the individual that he might feel the love that is there for him in the community.

As I neared home, I saw her walking, and she looked lost. I usually wave. This time I felt compelled to stop and visit. We spoke for several minutes as she shared her current journey with her sister who was just put into palliative care. I offered to help, and her face told me she knew I meant it. As I drove away, my mind was replaying my final weeks with my sister who died of cancer. I will continue to bring her and her sister to my daily prayer as well as check in on them.

Last evening, as I brought my day to the LORD and reflected, I brought each of the individuals to my prayer. I prayed for them, but I also prayed that I would be guided by the Spirit to accompany them as the LORD willed. And I thought of my own life and how these three situations were so familiar to me because my own journey had included worries about how I would care for my family, times of isolation and loneliness because of our frequent moves, and accompanying my sister during her final days with us. And I realized all over again how the LORD can use our experiences, if we allow Him.  And my sense of wonder enlarged.

As we continue our spiritual journeys home, let us commit to being vigilant for others along the way who need to be heard, who need a shoulder to lean on or just some encouragement, who need to know that they do not go alone, that the LORD is with them and so are we.  Let us remember vividly our own journey and our own longings, and with empathy reach out to the other. And let us bring the needs of those we meet along the way to the LORD asking for help for the individual but also guidance for us so that we might be instruments of the LORD’s will here and now.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.