Be a blessing

I was walking by the outpatient blood draw center at the hospital when I ran into her. She looked frazzled. I didn't really know her too well. She was the friendly face behind the counter at my favorite sandwich shop. So this was a very a-typical encounter.

When I asked her if she was alright she told me that the just found out her seventeen year old daughter was 6 1/2 months pregnant. Wow! Talk about a bombshell. This woman was now dealing with what it would mean for her daughter and herself. She wasn't angry or depressed. She was simply trying to regain her composure in light of the world altering news.

The funny thing is that many of us have been hit with announcements that take our nice little world by surprise. We think we have it all figured out. We have all our ducks lined up in a row. Then life happens.

Upstairs in the same hospital was a friend of mine in the community who was battling cancer. She was pretty beat up by the cancer and the treatment and all that was happening. A few months early she was all excited about her move to a new home. She and her husband had made the decision to go and this is where they were going to retire. Then life happened.

I remember another friend of mine saying that if he didn't have faith he would have thrown in the towel a long time ago. He is right. The good news is that our faith sustains us in these turbulent times. When the storms of life come it buoys us up and helps us stay afloat. No one ever knows when those moments are going to come but we all know they will come. The knowledge that we are not alone, that God cares and he will walk through this with us is a tremendous comfort.

I take it a step further. My faith tells me that God will not only be with me, he will send people to visit and encourage me. I think that's why I happened to bump into they young woman at the hospital today. It wasn't an accident. She needed God today and I gave him a human face. I came with his encouraging word.

The truth is that is what we are all called to do. When we bump into someone it isn't an accident. It is God directing our steps. So be an encouragement to all you meet and let the holy spirit work through you. You will be someone's blessing today.

Cal