With all of this craziness going on in the world, it is so refreshing to find people that are not swayed by what is out there, but are truly walking and talking letters from the Lord himself. We live in South Carolina and even though we don't haven't as much restrictions as other states in United States, we are definitely experiencing a lot of panic. Toilet paper is flying off the shelf like hot biscuits.
I am not in panic and was just doing my usual grocery run that I do every two weeks. My usual shopping spots were pretty empty so I had to improvise. I stopped by a post office to drop off a package and had such a sweet reminder of what it truly means to be a disciple and a representative of Jesus Christ.
I always have a hard time when an elderly men open the door for me because I was also taught to respect my elders and I believe that it is our duty to do so by taking care of them even if you don't know who they are. As he opened the door for me, I walked in but refused to get in front of him in line since he was actually first to the door. He kept telling me that I should, to which I couldn't agree to. He gave in and got in line. He turned to me a few seconds later and told me that I must be a 'gentlewoman.' To which I laughed and told him that I didn't want to take his spot in line. A few seconds later he stretched out his hand to me as if he was offering a fist bump, so I stretched out my hand. He opened his hand and placed a wooden car into my hands. I was pleasantly surprised. I asked him if he was a carpenter, to which he said that he was a retired engineer. With his free time he makes these cute wooden car toys and sends them out to different countries around the world.
He flipped the car over and I noticed a small label at the bottom that says, "Jesus loves you. I am praying for you." He was holding a small box in his hands which was his latest batch that he made to be sent out to another country. He was beaming as he was telling me all that he has been doing with these small wooden cars. He was next in line and the employees of the office knew him right away. They asked him how many he had this time, to which he replied 20. The funny thing is that throughout the whole conversation, I didn't even get his name.
To some of us this may look or sound insignificant but what I truly got out of this whole encounter with him is that even in his old age, this man knew his purpose. He wasn't going to let his talent go to waste. What I realized is that this man is reaching hundreds of children around the world with the love of God through this small wooden car.
So many of us sit and wait until we reach a specific status or economic stability to help others, disregarding the fact that we can be effective with what we have if we just take a look inwardly. I am reminded of a scripture in Proverbs 29:18 that says 'where there is no vision, the people perish.' When a lot of us think of vision we think of eyesight, and even thought that is part of it, we forget that vision is also the ability to think about or plan the future with imagination or wisdom. These are not my words, the are straight out of the dictionary. Our society usually resorts to thinking about the now and maybe for a week a head, but what about as far as to the next generation and the generations to come?
I am a person of faith and what I've learned is that God speaks to me through daily interactions with people, things, and nature. When I come across these encounters, I know that it wasn't just a coincidence, but it was an encounter that I was meant to have. I didn't even get that sweet man's name as I walked out of the post office feeling like I had some sort of a revelation.
I was convicted that so many times I think that I need attain a certain level of spiritually or some kind of an economic status, but this reminded once again that it is not about the stuff and how good I am. It's my willingness to be used by God himself to spread His love to those around me. It starts with me, my family, my community, my city, my state, my nation and then the world. (In that order!)
In this time, I want to encourage you to be kind. There are people that are in need of encouragement through this uncertain time. If you see someone that needs help, reach out and help. Disconnect from outlets that keep the negative coming and plug into prayer and thanksgiving. Sometimes the biggest hurdle that we have to overcome is not an outside force but our own mindset.
If you need support or prayer at this time, we are in this together. Feel free to comment below.
Create Coleture, Be YOU
Viktoriya Cole