So what brings me here today other than I can't focus on a task I am working on that will determine my future? Sounds important huh? It is, but I don't want to talk about that right now. It would be defeating the purpose of trying to clear my other thoughts before I return and give my dreadful task my undivided attention.
So here it goes......
The girls and I went walking this evening and stopped to help an elderly lady (85 yrs old) who was using a walker. She obviously was walking towards the street to throw a bag into the trash can that was in front of her house. She didn't accept our help at first because I'm sure she was frightened since it was close to 8:30pm and dark outside. If you've ever walked or even driven through Garden Villas neighborhood were the pecan trees threaten to devour you at night, you'd understand. As the light from the street lamp shined onto her face, I knew she was a fellow parishioner at my church. When I asked her if she attended OLMC her demeanor immediately changed. She kept us talking for about 45 minutes while the mosquitoes were biting us. We didn't mind because she had the most amazing stories of life's struggles (being in a concentration camp for 3 years), determination (living and working in the US for a better life) and accomplishments (learning English and being married 50 years).
Then at the end of her story she gave all glory & honor to God and told us she loved us. Wow, who does that? Who tells complete and total strangers you love them? She demonstrated both of the greatest commandments Jesus has given us.
Can you imagine if more people were like her in this world? Can you imagine if more people allowed the light of Jesus to illuminate from their being as she did with my children and I?
"Jesus said to him, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22: 37-40)
As we were standing on her driveway ants crawled onto her foot so I bent down and wiped her entire foot to make sure all the ants were off. The image as I did so was Jesus washing the feet of His disciples and the example of love He professed during this act. My eyes swelled with tears because I knew that I was allowing Jesus to illuminate through me.
"If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. " (John 13:14)
Before we departed, we promised to keep each other in our prayers.
My children and I walked away in silence and I know with all my heart and soul that Jesus was in the midst of us.
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