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It was a shuttle bus kinda morning from my parking deck at work to the clinic about two and a half blocks away. I usually enjoy walking but have refrained from that mode of transportation lately while recovering from my ankle surgery. One reason riding the bus does not appeal to me is that no matter what kind of ice breaker I may try to toss out there to the morning “zombies” sitting around me, no one grabs hold and I am sometimes put in an awkward position of complete silence attached to the stares from blank faces. I figure they have either not had their coffee fix yet or they are trying to wake up, or both.
Yet this Monday morning as a few of us stood in the cold all wrapped up in scarves, winter coats and gloves waiting for that white eight wheeled passenger carrier to chug around the corner, one perky young black man greeted us all with a chipper “good morning.” I think I was the only one to respond to him as we piled on the warm bus. He sat right across from me and I noticed him holding a book that looked very familiar to me. So I mustered up a little courage and popped out a question figuring he would answer since he had already cracked the ice.
“What’s that book you’ve got in your hand?”,I asked knowing the answer already but curious how he would respond to my question. ” This book? Why it’s the Word!! Do you know this book?”
“Sure do, it’s my favorite book. Read it just about every day!”
He gave me a big smile and looked around the bus at the other folks sitting in their own little worlds and he boldly asked “is everyone born again?” Well, that certainly got people’s attention as they all glanced around to see who might step out of their comfort zone and speak up. One woman danced around the question with a comeback response from something she had heard on the radio about religion as the others all eyeballed each other trying to figure out who might be “born again” in the group.
The bus came to this young man’s stop and as he bounced down a step he turned and told us all to have blessed day in the Lord. I couldn’t help but think at that moment how big the smile must have been on the face of the One that sacrificed His life so we could be born again. I’m sure Jesus might have been thinking “well done, my faithful servant!” as He was pleased at the young servant’s boldness. Jesus tells us in John 3:3 ” I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
Isn’t that what we are suppose to do when we become followers of Christ? Step out in bold faith sharing God’s Word like this young man did without any fear or hesitation? Matthew 5:16 in the Word says if we are Christ followers we should let our light shine before men. Well, I’d say that was one bright morning on that shuttle bus carrying unsuspecting folks to face their Monday responsibilities. I wonder what impact it made on each of them throughout the day, wonder what seed might have been planted that God had set up ahead of time and this young bold follower was obedient to the nudging of the Holy Spirit to follow through with his conviction. Only God knows.
I just know that I’m glad that young man was on that bus this cold Monday morning, setting an example for me to be more of a light to this dark world.
Sure gave me a joyous Monday!
June 2005
I was on the Care Team at Westridge Church. That’s a team that sends cards to people when there is a need, takes food to families and visits people in the hospital. I was on the card team but one day I got a call at work at The Emory Clinic asking me if I would go visit a young woman who was a patient at Emory Hospital just across the street or through the tunnel. How could I say no, she was just diagnosed with leukemia and was scared of the unknown disease that had taken over her body and wanted someone to pray with her.
I was so nervous as I walked through that tunnel, wondering what I would say to her, if she would even respond to me or want me to pray for her. I was a stranger walking into her hospital room invading her world of fear.
I lightly tapped on her door and heard a tender “come in”. My eyes fell upon this beautiful young woman whose eyes were full of the unknown. Even though I was a bundle of nerves, I approached her with confidence, introduced myself and how I came as a stranger to walk into her hospital room. I knew, we both knew in a matter of minutes that this was a total “God thing”. We immediately took to each other, talked about her illness and her fears and questions and we prayed together. I left her room that afternoon with a promise of returning soon. As I walked back through the tunnel to my job I burst into tears of a plethera of emotions. How could this happen to a beautiful vibrant young woman, how God had put me, a stranger, in her life and what was to become of this fierce disease that had attacked and taken over her body.
In the weeks to follow, I would go to her room after work and spend time with her. I took my favorite chic flick DVD’s and we watched some movies together. I was leading a Beth Moore Bible study at church and bought her a workbook to follow along with our group. I even took pictures of her and put one in a frame and set it out each week at our Bible study and she became our honorary member. We prayed for her every week.
Over time she started chemo treatments and lost her hair and her gorgeous eyelashes. My husband came to the hospital a couple of times after work and we would order pizza and hang out with her and her boyfriend. It had truly developed into a very special friendship. Two strangers brought together by God’s awesome plan.
She finished her chemo treatments eventually and was not in the hospital so much. She lived on the opposite side of town from me so we did not see each other very much but we tried to keep in touch over time with phone calls and sometimes she would stop by and see me when she came to the cancer clinic for out patient appointments. Time and space had drifted us apart but God had done something to both our hearts and we developed an admiration and friendship of love for one another that would be with us always no matter the time that passed between any contact from each other.
Melissa is in remission today and God has done a mighty work in her life. Her hair has grown back out and her eyelashes even more beautiful, I’m so envious! She is married to her boyfriend ( I was at the wedding) and now they have moved back to this side of town and they are back at Westridge Church. My husband and I had left there 2 years ago to follow a church plant from Westridge down the road from our house but are back at Westridge as of a few months ago.
Melissa and I just started meeting with another friend to pray and study the Bible together. Yesterday, Sunday morning we sat together at church and listened to Brian, our pastor give a message on doing life together. Not just coming to church on Sunday morning and looking at the back of people’s heads but looking at people face to face. How church is not about attendance but it’s about relationship, to be connected to other believers so we can spur each other on and encourage each other. He told us that this is how God created us to live, He designed us to do life together, not alone.
January 2009
Melissa and I are “doing life together”. A full circle, a friendship renewed. God is so amazingly awesome!
It’s been two weeks since I went back to work from my 7 week surgery recovery. I didn’t sleep well the night before, my husband thinks it may have been anxiety from getting back into the routine. I knew 4:40 was going to come much earlier in the morning than say 9:00ish. (I know, I got pretty lazy)
Once I got up that morning I was raring to go, took the dogs out (only this time I didn’t get to curl back up under the sheets), got my shower, ate breakfast and headed out in my car to face the morning traffic on my hour drive into town. Seemed like I had just done that! Once I got a warm welcome back and settled into the routine that I have done for the last 16 plus years, it all seemed normal and like I had not even been away!
As I drove home that afternoon, I felt contentment and gratitude and utter humbleness to our Creator that made our bodies to do remarkable almost unthinkable supernatural healing.
I felt content and grateful to have a job that I enjoy very much and has been good to me over the years. One that allowed me to take seven weeks off with full pay that I had accrued over the years. I am grateful for good co workers/team mates that are willing to work with me while still on one crutch and in a bulky boot since our occupation in a cardiac cath lab is one of standing and moving around a lot.
My ankle, which was causing me quite a bit of discomfort and immobility from an motorcycle injury over 30 years ago had become somewhat of a handicap to me. An excellent surgeon, Dr. Sam Labib at Emory Sports Center in Atlanta,GA (thanks, doc) and God’s amazing healing process (thanks, heavenly Father) has me on the road to a less painful and more mobile way of life. I find myself amazed an in awe of the whole process.
It has made a change in my way of thinking about everyday life and how we tend to get in an unintentional mode of taking it for granted. How we use and often abuse our bodies daily not thinking of how much we rely on every part of this amazing creation to function for us in all manners of life. So now, when I more easily get out of bed each morning with much less pain and get prepared to start my day I have to take a moment to thank God for what I too often so easily took for granted.
It is the day the Lord has made, I am rejoicing and being glad of it!
It’s interesting how I get my word for the year. Last year it was “ponder”, which I did quite a bit of that throughout the year, guess I always will from now on cause I find myself pondering over life as I get closer to settling down in my mansion in my eternal home.
This year, the word that kept popping up in my mind and actually in front of me in some very odd ways because I felt it was too simple and plain a word for me to get excited about is….Believe.
Yet once I had made a home for my new word in my mind , I have been amazed at the depth this word truly carries. (I know I shouldn’t end a sentence with a verb but hey, it’s my blog!)
Believe- to have confidence or faith in the truth, the existence or the reliability of something; to have faith, confidence, trust.
Boy, don’t we all need to have confidence and faith in something in the times we are living in today? Well, truth to me is God’s Living Word and the promise of our salvation when we put our trust in Him and accept His Son Jesus as our Savior. That is the purest truth one will ever know.
Confidence, faith, trust….we can have it all in Him.
Beth Moore said in her blog that she wants to have her “a Jesus year in 2009″. I’m right there with you, Beth, me and my husband. That’s why we rang our new year in on our knees in prayer..for our families, friends, neighbors, co workers, the unsaved, this country, our marriage and our personal walk with Jesus. We are believing God for answering prayers this year and looking out for this country because He is ultimately the One in control. I believe that with all my heart.
I believe that healing will take place this year. I believe that love will abound this year. I believe that people will step up to the plate to help others. ( I saw tremendous evidence of that in our church this Christmas season). I believe that people will be lead to know and accept Jesus as their Savior and live in victory. I believe that hate will be replaced with love. I believe that new friendships will take place and old ones will deepen.
I believe that I really will lose this weight I want to shed! 
I believe because I have hope, hope in a God that never fails us or leaves us. No matter what our struggles or situation, He is with us and will pull us through when we believe and trust Him to do so.
“Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31
I believe that verse, it’s one of my favorites and has pulled me through many a weary time.
I believe that God’s mercies are new every morning and that He will walk through each day with us and carry us when we feel we can not take another step.
BELIEVE…….. guess that’s gonna be my word for the year and you know, it’s kinda growing on me!
