By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
The doorbell rang.
When I answered it, a friendly young man greeted me from a company I have done business with for several years.
After leaving his delivery, he mentioned the deer in my driveway and yard. He had encountered several on the roads in town, as does everyone who lives here, but he hadn’t been close to one.
For some reason, “my” deer gave him pause and we chatted for several minutes about how beautiful they were.
He turned back down the walkway and just as he got to his van said, “I needed to see animals today.”
His comment was one of the strangest I’ve heard.
Why did he need to see animals?
What had his day been like?
Was he battling discouragement? Disappointment, depression?
Did he live so detached from nature that he had forgotten there is more to life than earbuds, downloads, computerized schedules, and delivery routes?
Something about the wildlife touched him and he recognized its affect.
We never know what is going on in someone else’s life – what struggles they face, whether despair dogs their steps. Do they need a reminder that God is there and cares about them? Do they need a reminder that God even exists?
Our choice of words, decision to smile, or determination to look them in the eye and not be in a hurry could make a big difference.
It doesn’t take much to lift someone’s spirit. Let’s not overlook any opportunity.
Even if it’s merely observing one of God’s amazing creatures in our yard.
For You, LORD, have made me glad through Your work;
I will triumph in the works of Your hands.
Psalm 92:4 NKJV
~
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“Please be seated.” The pastor met Haskell’s eye and tipped his head in acknowledgment. A small russet-haired woman delayed seating herself and looked toward the back where he stood. Her shy smile pinned him to the wall as certain as a sharp shooter’s trigger finger.
The man to his right grunted and slapped his hat against his leg. Haskell hadn’t met him, but something about him felt familiar. His slight frame, an impatient air bordering on disrespect. Haskell ran his hand through his hair and cut a side glance. A smirk curled the younger’s man’s lip. Had he thought Martha smiled at him?
Maybe she had. The idea sobered Haskell and he pushed his shoulders back, straightened his stance.
“What is faith?” The preacher’s voice reached all the way to the back of the cramped room, louder than Haskell had heard him before.
“Some say it’s trust. Others say it’s hogwash.”
Several parishioners tsked and others snickered at the remark. In the few sermons Haskell had heard, the preachers hadn’t used such common language. Maybe he’d been missing out all these years.
“Doesn’t matter what some folks say. It matters what God says. And he’s told us in the letter to the Romans that faith is the essence of what we hope for and evidence of what we can’t see.”
Haskell’s attention homed in on the preacher.
“Faith is knowing. It’s banking on what God tells us. It’s proof of the invisible—like Him. We don’t see God Himself, but we can see His handiwork around us and His love in our families and neighbors. We know He’s with us.” ~ Romancing the Widow
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this is so true about not knowing where someone else is coming from and why it is so important to not blow them off. God has asked us to be His hands and feet, this also means we are to speak like Him and listen like Him. We can only be His warriors when we follow Him as completely as possible. Have a wonderful week.
Amen, Lori. Thanks for stopping by.
Reminds me of a favorite by Emily Dickinson:
“They may not need me but they might
I’ll let my head be just in sight.
A smile as small as mine may be
Precisely their necessity.”
Oh Phylis, that is lovely. Thank you for sharing!
I’ve learned that when I go to a store or I’m at church that it is important to acknowledge people.
People at stores wear name tags. So I call them by name and say thank you or make another comment.
I look for people shopping or at church that look ignored or look like being especially kind would maybe brighten their day.
God cares about each of us. We should care too.
It really doesn’t take much effort to show
You care. You might just “make someone’s day”.
So true, Karen. We never know.