One of the first people to walk in the door at church today, the first day of opening our food pantry, was a woman a few years younger than I, with two of her grandchildren in tow. She could hardly make eye contact, and through tear filled eyes she said "this is the first time in my life, I've ever asked for help." She had recently been laid off from a job she had worked for years. Her daughter is going through a divorce, so her daughter and two grandchildren live with her; so she could help THEM out . . . and now, she is without a job.
I remember a moment like that myself, and suddenly it didn't seem as though it were that many years ago. I was a single mother with two children living for many years on a salary that paid below the poverty level. I was proud. I couldn't imagine asking anyone for help. I prayed and prayed and then one day . . . I was out of money, out of food and out of answers. I drove to an office to seek help for the first time in my life and oh, how nervous, anxious and broken I felt.
Today, watching this woman . . . who I can relate to so well . . . I was reminded of a song by Don Moen called "God Will Make A Way." The verse says "like a roadway in the wilderness, He leads me." And, I recalled the passage of scripture in Isaiah 43:19b where this is found. As I turned back to it tonight to examine it again, I found the neatest thing. God is saying in this verse that He is a spring in the desert! Just imagine it, a spring in the desert where the parched come to drink. A spring in the desert where the weary traveler is refreshed. A spring in the desert where the fearful find hope.
Today, this woman found hope. Today, many found hope, but for sure . . . this one found a place of refreshment. I may never see her again, but I can't tell you how good it feels to be used by God to be an oasis in someones desert! Thank you God for the opportunity to serve.
2 comments:
This was very uplifting Gayle. I hope that your food pantry grows by leaps and bounds as you reach out with God's arms to the community.
Oh thank you so much. You can't imagine how much it helps me, and how much I look forward to reading all the comments. It really makes me feel like I have something worthy of saying. I thank the Lord for that. But, these new areas of ministry are so exciting! And, I'm really blessed by all the wonderful people like you, who God has placed in my life. You are an encourager to me!
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