You Saved My Life

I often think of Jesus' command to let my good deeds be done secretly before my Heavenly Father and not in front of men to get their praise and attention.  Then I think of David who wrote in the Psalms, "I have not neglected to declare your mighty works before the congregation."  And then I get confused.  :)  I want the reader here to know that the story you are about to read is what God has done, not anything that I have done.

Soul & a Name

Soul # 40

• We recently expanded our location to include the Cafe Room in the Community Life Center of Salem First Baptist Church.  We sit outside on the sidewalk directly across from the Skate Park in downtown Salem now, once a week, hoping to interact more with the teenagers, but quite honestly, we would like a warm, dry place to continue meeting through the winter months.  On the first day we opened with a smidge of coffee and pastries, the older gentleman who I see as the leader of our group, waved across the street to three homeless people sitting on the bench.  He recognized one.  This Soul from the Skate Park sat down and gladly took some coffee and began to share how he was homeless and how badly he was hurting.  He said he had two sores on his leg and foot.  They were getting bad enough that he could not barely walk.  Our leader asked to see them.  He lifted it up and we talked about what it might be.  A spider bite or some bacteria, but it was pretty swollen across his shin.  Our leader said, "You really need to have that looked at.  You could lose your leg, it's serious."  Soul #40 said, "I would go to the hospital but I don't think I can walk that far."  The group said that someone could drive him.  I volunteered because my car was around the corner.  I remember being slightly annoyed that I was going to have to leave the group for this person's need.  (That's how much this is not about me.)  I even politely asked him if he would wash his hands for sanitation sake!  On the car ride I got to know him a bit, dropped him off at the emergency room, I prayed for him and went back.  That was about three weeks ago.  Fast forward to this week.  We were outside the Cafe room again, and who should walk across the street?  Soul #40 came right up to me and said, "You know what?  You saved my life.  Do you go to church here?  I went into the office last Sunday and said 'Please thank the woman who gave me a ride to the hospital, she saved my life.'"  I said, "Well I think you're mistaken - it was our fearless leader who said you should go to the hospital, he's the one who saw it for what it was.  How bad was it?"  He replied, "The infection went into the bone.  I was on IV antibiotics for three days.  I couldn't wait to come and tell you thank you."  I said, "Praise God!  I can't believe it!"  He smiled and told a few more people and then shortly left for the park.  A few minutes later he came across the street and talked to me again.  "I wanted to tell you too, that my life has changed since then.  Someone found housing for me.  It's a small cottage in downtown Salem that's fully furnished for only $200 a month.  I'm off the streets."  I said, "Wow, God's really at work in your life right now!"  He said he was so happy he was no longer homeless.  I asked if this meant I wasn't going to ever see him again?  He said he might come back if he could.  He left saying, "God bless you!"

We have prayed that God would be at work in spite of us, even while we are not presently downtown.  We pray that God would restore life to this entire space with no respector of persons.  I personally don't feel called to minister to the older, established homeless community which explains my bad attitude that day.  See, that is why God is so good and worthy to be praised and I am not.  He answers that prayer, in fact, that is the nature of His character and purpose - He is always at work.  My job as His servant is to align myself with the things He is already doing.  And barely I got to join in, at the last second, by begrudgingly giving a car ride.  I suppose if the world wants to praise me for a two minute taxi, they can, but I can assure you it's not a big deal.  That God is bringing life to someone and that I get to hear the report and jump up and down with a stranger about it - well, that's GRACE, pure and true!

I'm not against institutionalized church; in fact I believe it is extremely wise to partner with them as co-laborers for the kind of task we desire to accomplish.  Everyone needs a building for their place of access to the peoples.  And don't ever believe anyone who suggests we might make LESS COFFEE.  A recipe for lunacy I assure you!  ;)

Jesus, make us equal for the task.  Our hearts and minds are filled at times with what You can do, but Your ways are higher and Your thoughts higher.  I praise you that You are at work in spite of my short vision.  Please continue to move in these spaces beyond our humanity and through your eternal Spirit.  I ask God in your holy, set apart Name that you would watch over this Soul and keep Him safe from physical and spiritual attack; that He would testify greatly about You in all the places that he travels.