Yesterday I made a quick trip to the mall with my roommate Katherine. It was a trip we have made multiple times before and nothing about it seemed special. We split up to save time and decided to meet outside the grocery shop. I had to go into the shop to get a few things for my children and for dinner so I did that as she went to return an item. I finished first so I waited outside the shop for her to come. Before she arrived, a man approached me and asked me for petrol money. My instinct was to avoid taking out my wallet so I told him I didn't have any cash on me, which was a lie. I knew I had 20 Rand sitting in my wallet that could easily help him out but I chose to be "safe" and nicely decline. He walked away and I could see that he was beyond discouraged. As I stood waiting for Katherine I noticed that the man, now standing outside the next shop, began to wipe tears from his eyes. My heart broke instantly and I knew I had done the wrong thing. I was worried about being safe and missed out on an opportunity to bless someone God put in my path. I stood there for a minute beating myself up and getting enough courage to tell him I had lied when I turned walk towards him and he had already walked away. I didn't know what to do so I prayed that God would bring him back so that I could give him the money. I prayed for forgiveness for not listening closer to the heartbeat of God and being more concerned about myself. I prayed and I prayed for a second chance but the man didn't come back before Katherine arrived.
Once Katherine arrive we walked towards the car park together and I began to tell her what had just happened and just how bad I felt for missing out on the opportunity God put before me. I told her how I was praying for a second chance and promised God that I wouldn't mess up again. As soon as the words came out of my mouth, a women approached us. She looked like she had been through more than anyone could imagine in the past 24 hours. She was nearly in tears as she asked for money for somewhere for her and her 2 girls to sleep tonight. I immediately pulled out the 20 Rand and handed it to her. Without thinking, I asked if they had food for dinner. She told me she wasn't sure what they were going to eat but she was more concerned about finding a place to stay. I asked if she would walk back into the mall with me so that we could get her some food. We walked and talked for a good 30 minutes as we picked out some food for her and her children. It was then that she told us about her abusive husband and how she was in the place she was that day because she finally left him. My heart just broke to pieces again. I was nearly in tears as we spent time talking and walking. We got her enough food for the next few days and walked back out of the mall. As we stood there together, we prayed and cried. It was truly beautiful.
God had given me my second chance. It wasn't what I was expecting but it was even better. It can be easy to give people money when you see a need but it's more difficult to touch someone's heart. Katherine and I were able to spend time with Irene and encourage her with more than just food. We were given the divine opportunity to pour into her life and my prayer is that God would continue to use our words and prayers to pull her towards Him.
Please pray for Irene and her 2 daughters. Pray they would be able to get their passports in order and head home to New Zealand. Pray that God would continue to provide miraculously for her family and through that they would come to know Christ as Savior.
No comments:
Post a Comment