For many years, I’ve known that my own sobriety depends on my willingness to seek God’s will for my life and cooperate with Him to help others. It keeps me from becoming self-centered. Some time ago, someone also told me to be kind to everyone I met, because they were all fighting battles I knew nothing about.
I doubled down this week, asking God repeatedly to lead me into those interactions. I felt an urgency to reach out, pay better attention, and touch more lives than I’ve been able to in the past.
And God did not disappoint.
Last Thursday I had an eye doctor appointment and after the exam, his assistant—whom I’ll call Sienna—seemed a bit frustrated. When I asked her what was wrong, she said the previous notes on my chart were all jumbled, and that she needed to straighten them out.
“It just goes against my grain,” she said. “I can’t just leave them that way.”
Well, I could relate, so I complimented her on her quest for accuracy, and said I wished there were more folks like her that went the extra mile.
“Yeah, it’s been a rough week,” she sighed. “And unfortunately, it’s probably going to get worse.”
For a split second, I wondered what her troubles were, but I didn’t ask, since I’d never met her before. It didn’t seem appropriate.
Then suddenly, I remembered an old story.
“You know, I once heard about a woman who woke up one morning and realized she only had four little hairs on her head!”
Sienna paused, then smiled slightly as she typed.
“So as she stood there looking in the mirror, she said, ‘I think I’ll wear pigtails today!’
Sienna’s head moved slightly, but I couldn’t be sure if she was paying any attention to what I was saying.
“The next day, she woke up and realized she only had three hairs on her head, so she thought for a minute and said, ‘Well, I think I’ll braid my hair today!’
A shake of the head this time. And a little snort.
“So on the third morning, she woke up and only had two hairs on her head. So she said, ‘I think I’ll part my hair today!’
This time, Sienna stopped typing. I saw a grin cross her face, so I continued.
“And then, on the fourth day, she woke up and saw she only had one tiny hair left, stuck to the back of her head.”
I paused, and waited.
She bit.
“So what did she say then?” Sienna asked.
“Oh. She said, ‘Hmmm. I think I’ll wear my hair in a pony tail today!”
A bigger snort, and a sideways glance, followed by a bigger grin. “That’s some story!”
I paused a few more seconds. “So the next day, she woke up and realized she didn’t have a single hair on her head anymore. They were all gone!”
Another pause in her typing. Then she turned my way and said, “Okay, so what did she say then?”
“Oh! Well, she smiled and said, ‘Huh! Look at that! I don’t have to do a thing with my hair today!’
A split second later, Sienna had to laugh. “Oh man, you are such an optimist!”
“Yes, yes I am,” I admitted. “In fact, my first waking thought is, Good morning, God. What can I do for You today? And He always sets me up to encourage someone. I pray for Him to bring those I should encourage into my life, and He never fails to do that.
“But I wasn’t always this optimistic,” I continued. “In fact, I used to be one of the most negative people you would ever have the displeasure of meeting. But God loves a good challenge, and He’s turned all that around. He just loves turning the worst things in my life into the best!”
Now I noticed Sienna was visibly shaken. Putting her hands in her lap, she continued staring straight ahead. Her chin quivered a bit, and big tears welled up in her eyes and slid down her cheeks.
As much as I wondered, I remained silent again. Until she broke that silence.
“I … I lost my baby last week,” she said.
The room felt still … like the air itself was holding its breath. My heart broke as I realized this poor young woman was suffering terribly, and now was sharing her sorrow with a total stranger. Lord, please help me. I don’t know what to say, I prayed.
Sienna continued. “You said you asked God today to put you into the lives of those who could use your encouragement. Well, I guess I’m an answer to your prayer, then. I needed to hear that God knows what I’m going through.”
“God wastes nothing,” I finally said. “Not even our tears. Instead, we become uniquely qualified to help someone else who is going through a similar situation.”
She nodded, and wiped the tears from her eyes.
A long moment passed. It was okay that we were both silent. Two people who had known a lot of pain.
“God knows what you’re going through, and He’s right there with you, Sienna. I’ll be praying that He will bring you comfort and peace.”
How I longed to say more, but I’ve learned to listen to the Holy Spirit for the words—and more words were not coming. I’m so grateful I am comfortable with silence today. Just being there is enough.
As I prayed silently for her, I also thanked God for the opportunity to be there for a total stranger.
But not really.
She’s my sister—a child of God.
“I’ll see you in two months” she said as she closed down the computer screen. “Thank you for the encouragement. I needed it today.”
I can’t wait to see Sienna in a few more weeks. She knows God, and I’m sure He will comfort her. He always does. That’s just Who He is.
