Sometimes reaching out can be as simple as a song.
I often give my neighbor a ride home from church. She always worries that she is a burden somehow. I just smile as I explain that I was raised in a tiny Baptist church, yet the church owned a school bus. Picking people up, especially for Vacation Bible School, was what we did. Lack of transportation was never a viable excuse for not attending our little church.
When my sister and I were growing up, my cousin and her hubby would come pick us up for Sunday school, and my mom would join us for church service. I truly believe they were happy to help.
When my daughter was younger, there was a little girl in our neighborhood, who we would swing by and take to church with us. On Wednesday nights, I would run to the neighborhood across the street, to pick up a couple of kids who wanted to come to our program.
I suppose it’s true that you learn what you live. I can’t imagine not being willing to give someone a ride. For years, I drove a minivan, that was full more often than not, of kids who needed transportation. My mama did the same.
I guess I consider transportation to be a gift. Not all people have it. If God were to ask me if I am using His gift to further His kingdom, what would my answer be?
A couple of weeks ago, as I was driving my sweet neighbor home, we were talking about her son, who passed away. She was really missing him. I can’t imagine the pain of burying a child. I’m sure it’s not anything you ever get over.
These conversations tend to make us squirm, don’t they? We never know what to say and we don’t like that. There is no magical Christian answer to heal a grieving heart. We can’t fix it and that makes us feel helpless, so we often just avoid the conversations or even the people who need us to be there and listen.
Giving someone a ride is easy. It requires no emotional or spiritual presence on our part. But, what if all of those years of giving rides to kids, was God’s way of preparing me for something deeper?
I listened to her and my heart went out to her. I promised to pray for her peace as she got out of my car. As I drove down the road, thinking about her pain, a song came on the radio, that seemed to have been written for her.
I thought of her and that song all day and wondered if it would speak to her as it spoke to me. Would she get it? Would it be helpful or hurtful? After wrestling all day, I sent her an e-mail and attached it. I prayed that it was the right gesture.
She sent me the sweetest reply and told me that was exactly what she needed to hear.
Looking back, of course it was. There I sat not knowing what to say, and praying for her peace, and God sent me the answer in a song. Why did I doubt?
There are times when we desperately want to help, but just don’t know how. These are never the times to do nothing. These are the times to go to God in prayer and ask for guidance. We are trying to do His work of loving others. We don’t have to know the right answers, but He does. He will send them.
We just have to have our eyes wide open, or in this case our ears, and not be afraid to act when nudged. Perhaps you needed reminding today.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
Here’s the song; if you would like to hear it.