Don’s cold and dirty hands grasped the gas pump handle. He was “down on his luck” he would later recall. He needed gas to get work. His world had just come unglued, pulled apart by the opposite forces at work in a messy divorce. No longer did he have the luxury of his kids being around. No longer did he have the luxury of home with all of its cozy furnishings. The settlement had taken care of that nicely.
With the tank full, Don hung the gas pump handle back in place and reached for his wallet. It was gone. No way to pay for the tank full of gas. How much more could happen and how much lower could a person get? Just at that moment, while feeling totally at a loss at what to do, a stranger at the next pump handed him a twenty dollar bill and drove off.
This was an epiphany for Don. At least from two perspectives: his view of how God provides and how angels work. He told me years after this happened that it was a turning point in his life. He realized that God truly provides. He also realized that angels work in small, quiet ways with no fanfare. Since that time he has looked for small ways to be a messenger from God to others.
That is what an angel is…being someone’s answer to a prayer. But in order to be someone’s angel we have to develop the desire to help others in need, the eyes to see others in need, the ears to hear the cries for help and the hands to respond to others in need.
Desire…eyes…ears…hands. Simple requirements for such powerful results. We have to have the passion to meet the world’s needs. This is at the heart of the good news… we are God’s answer to someone’s desparate prayer. No earning of wings. No miraculous hat tricks. No flying over the continents or dodging speeding bullets. Just a twenty dollar bill in his name. A moment transformed and a life changed.
Are we ready to be someone’s angel?
In Christian love, Curtis
2 comments:
Great thought, Curtis! You never know when you might be the one God sent to serve.
There is a blessing in not being self-sufficient. Nobody is truly independent, but we're good at presenting that image. When in need, we are in a better position to receive blessing.
Mecthild of Magdeburg (1210-80) wrote a prayer along that line:
"Lord, I thank you that you have taken from me the sight of my eyes, and that now you serve me with the eyes of others. Lord, I thank you that you have taken from me the power of my hands, and that now you care for me by the hands of others. Lord, I pray for them. Reward them in your heavenly love, that they may faithfully serve and please you until death."
Great story and application Curtis.
We enjoyed your visit at Gateway and hope it will not be your last.
Some of our men are still talking about your class.
Post a Comment