Are You On Your Way?
Good morning beautiful people. As I opened my eyes this morning and before my feet even hit the floor, I began to think about a friend in heaven. I met this dear lady many years ago now. I just had to share about her once again.
Alice (not her real name) had long stringy unkempt hair, was very thin and was an alcoholic. She lived all alone in an almost bare apartment that needed cleaning.
Her refrigerator shelves held the beer she consumed daily, but had very little food. Everyone seemed to complain about her life. I’ve met a lot of people on my journey thus far, but nobody taught me more about the love of Christ than her.
I began to pray for her. I would take bleach and clean her toilet that she never seemed to flush. I’d wipe down her dirty counters on occasion. I tried hard to keep her in an apartment where it seemed everyone was against her.
One day I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with her about her life. It hadn’t been easy. Leaving what she knew as home at the age of twelve in search of a better life must have been frightening. She had been through so much on her journey here. Alcohol was just suppressing the pain. She could not read or write, she had no formal education and was basically a loner. I felt for her. I really did.
That Christmas, I put her name in at a local church for a food box. Some folks from the church Christmas caroled and delivered some food items to her. A dear friend of mine from the church prayed with her.
A neighbor later told me that she had tried to eat the pumpkin pie that was in the box without first baking it. She had knocked on the neighbor’s door and inquired why the pie was so runny.
I often pondered where she got the courage to knock on that door one more time as she had been rejected so many times before. It seemed the pie was quite runny and she was having difficulty eating it. Can you imagine how awful that must have tasted?
My daughter Alyssa and I delivered her a few Christmas presents that year. Nothing elaborate, just basics. A clean pillow to rest her head (she had a stained mattress on the floor in her bedroom without any sheets or pillows). We had wrapped a couple of towels and washcloths and basic items in hopes she would use them. Her apartment had no sign of Christmas. No tree, no lights in the window and barely any life left in her, herself. I knew even without the thank you she appreciated it.
I continued to pray for Alice. At times my heart would ache for her and my pillow would be filled with tears as I asked God to intervene on her behalf. Alice had endured so much. As she shared a small part of her life story with me, I knew she was burying the pain in her life with alcohol. I continued to pray and to reach out to her in small ways.
One day, I received a phone call that she was quite ill and needed to go to the hospital. She was refusing to go by ambulance. I was unable to take her, so I bowed my head and prayed and asked my Heavenly Father to make a way for her.
After twenty minutes or so, I received a phone call from a relative of Alice’s. She told me that she did not own her as a relative, but was related to her. She had heard she was sick and would go drive her to the hospital. Thank you, Jesus. You are the best Father.
I asked some folks from the church I was attending to go pray for her and talk to her about Jesus. I was not confident enough at that time and didn’t want to mess anything up. I have since learned Jesus looks at the heart and the Holy Spirit will help you. Just go…
One man from the church took her a small stuffed animal. I am almost certain that was the only stuffed animal that she had ever received. Another man went as well and prayed with her.
When I arrived at the hospital later that evening, the room was empty. Somehow I knew she had died. I came home and filled my pillow with more tears.
I knew she was with Jesus and that her life was full of joy now and she was now free from the pain that she endured in this life. I had prayed for her so much, I felt as if I were losing a sister. In essence, I was. I know just as sure as I am writing this post today, she is in heaven. The good Father has given me that assurance.
I know that the Lord did not put her in my path by mistake. He used her to teach me a great deal. There was no funeral, no calling hours, and no flowers. Her belongings all went into the dumpster.
The Lord showed me that the alcohol was keeping the pain down in her life. He told me to look past the alcohol and look to her heart. Her value didn’t seem like much in this world. She had no assets, friends, or relatives that owned her. She did have a child, whom I had met once. He told me about her attempt to take her own life when he was young, but he intervened. He smelled of alcohol too. I was told he only came to get money once a month from her. I don’t know if that is even true.
Today, I just had to thank Jesus once again for salvation. Thank him for saving my friend. Thank Him for teaching me through the power of His Holy Spirit. Thank Him for the church, the food box, the people He sent, the answered prayers and the stuffed animal. Thank Him how He loves people. Even the people that the world overlooks, He doesn’t. Thank you Jesus.
We are commanded to love one another. Lord help your church to love each other. Lord, teach us to look beyond our four walls of our own churches and go into the highways and byways and compel them to come in with your love, the love of Jesus Christ.
Father, teach us, strengthen us that the petty issues of life doesn’t really matter. Today, give us people that you can trust us with God. Work though us today for the Alice’s of this world. Only give us what you can trust us with. The hurting doesn’t need any further hurt. Direct them where to go, direct us where to go.
Forgive us God when we messed it up. Today God, we join our Faith across this globe for the Alice’s of this world. Your heart is our heart. Show us today where our next Alice is we pray. Amen
Luke 14:23 And the Lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
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