6

 

Griffey dragged himself through the door and plopped into his recliner.

I glanced at my watch. “Eight-thirty—goodness.”

“Yeah, I almost forgot about the associational meeting I had to attend this evening.” He sighed.

“You want a sandwich or something?”

“I’ll grab me a peanut-butter sandwich in a minute.” He scooted forward, propping his elbows on his knees. “The woman from the Pregnancy Crisis Center, Kristen, gave a report. They need some meals for their Thursday evening classes. I thought some of our Sunday school classes might get involved. What do you think?”

My eyes widened. “Um, yes, I’ll ask and then call Kristen.” I nodded.

I didn’t need to be so surprised or uptight. How hard could it be to make up some food and take it over?

The next day, after an overwhelming response from some ladies in our church, I called Kristen. She gave me a list of dates that were yet to be filled.

“This is great. I don’t normally have so many openings for bringing meals, but…”

I felt the urging again. Hadn’t I just helped? Our church was taking responsibility for several of the upcoming meals.

The directive came again and more urgently this time.

“Kristen, are there other things you need? Could I be of help in some way?”

“Addy, yes.” She breathed a sigh of relief. “The lady that did our devotions had to quit. I’ve been trying to fill in, but I can’t do it all.”

I swallowed at the lump of anxiety accumulating in my throat and wondered if there was something else I could do, not so up front. I opened my mouth to ask but was cut off.

“Be the blessing.”

“Umm, Kristen, let me pray about it, OK?”

“OK. Call me and let me know what you decide.”

“I won’t leave you hanging.”

After ending the conversation, I ran my fingers through my hair. Maybe I could ask Emily. She was so good in front of people—inspiring and motivating.

“Be the blessing.”

“But, God, what do I have to say to these girls? Why would they even listen to me?”

Suddenly I remembered the verses I had studied during my quiet time the day before. I rushed to our home office where I had a small desk situated in one corner. My Bible still lay open to Romans eight. I read through the passage and ideas buzzed in my mind. I grabbed a legal pad and scribbled them down. All I needed was a large rock, a toy Army man, and my hot glue gun to complete the illustration.

I sighed and sat back in my desk chair. “OK, God, I know, You’ll give me the words.”

I called Kristen back the next morning and told her I’d be there. She was ecstatic. I was nervous. All through Tuesday and Wednesday, I prayed for God to speak through me what these girls needed to hear.

I arrived Thursday evening as the girls were filling their supper plates. I mingled and ooh and ahhed over babies as I walked through the makeshift buffet set up on the kitchen dining table. One by one, the girls finished eating and disposed of their plates, settling in the front room. They sat on mismatched sofas, chatting in low tones. Kristen motioned for me to follow her and introduced me.

All eyes turned my way. My hands went clammy, and I prayed silently. “OK, Lord, this is it.”

I read my Scripture passage, Romans 8: 28-39: “’And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him who have been called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified. What then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?’”

The girls all seemed to be listening to my every word. I took a deep breath. “Some people misinterpret the beginning of these verses. They think that everything should be good for a Christian. The verse says that God works things for good. That means bad things happen, but God will bring good from it.” I made eye contact with each girl, hoping they were understanding my explanation. “Think about the verse that says ‘if God is for us, who can be against us.’ Our God created the world and has control of everything. If that God is for us then nothing or no one can come against us without also coming against Him. God showed His love by sending His own Son. His love is so strong for us there is no event or person that can come between God and us. Nothing.” I stepped closer to the girls who sat on the donated sofas and chairs. “No matter what you go through, as God’s child, nothing will separate you from His love. That comforts me.”

After my comments, I pulled out my little green man and stood him on the table. “I have an Army man here. We think of him as strong but watch. I can easily shake him over, knock him down, or even blow him over.” I demonstrated each. I lugged a large rock from the floor onto the table. “But, now this big rock is like God.” I picked up my hot glue gun which had been warming on the podium. “And, the glue from this glue gun is God’s love shown through Christ.” I pushed some glue out onto the rock and stuck the Army man on it. “When we are God’s child—glued to Him—nothing can come between us and God. Look, I can’t knock over my Army man now. Things can come against him, but God has his back. Remember that. We are more than conquerors and nothing can separate us from God’s love.”

When most everyone had departed, I collected my Bible and props and headed to Kristen’s office where she had stowed my purse. When I entered her office, Kristen smiled and shook her head.

“Unbelieveable.”

“What?” I slid a folding metal chair over and sat down, leaning toward Kristen, filled with curiosity.

“They’ve never paid attention to my devotions like they did yours tonight.” She sat back in her chair. “And, some of the girls were already chatting with you. That’s big. It usually takes a while to gain their trust. You were amazing.”

“Thanks for the compliment. I was hoping it was what you wanted.”

“More than.”

“Good. I prayed really hard about this.”

“Can I expect you back in two weeks for the next one?” Kristen looked at me expectantly.

I guessed by the reaction to my devotion and the urging whisper, this was to be an ongoing commitment. “Sure, I’ll see you then,” I said with a hug.

When I arrived home, I plopped onto the couch and started chattering away about my evening. A grin spread across Griffey’s face, and he crossed his arms. I stopped. “What?”

“Sounds like you enjoyed yourself. Another blessing job, right?”

I grinned and nodded. “Yep.”

 

****

 

Conrad met me early in my morning walk. “The pregnancy center went well, wouldn’t you say so?”

I smiled. “Yes, I’d say so. I’m not a public speaker, but God will certainly equip you for what He wants you to accomplish.”

“Many need to learn that lesson.”

“And, the verse is right—when I bless others, I receive a blessing. Some of the girls blessed me with their trust the first night.”

“People often think of blessings as only coming from the Father to them. God also uses His children—His willing children— to bless others. Those who miss out on this, miss out on the joy it can bring.”

“I’m beginning to understand that.”