Reaching out
I recall a trip to a local store a few years ago that my family and I had taken. Nothing was extraordinary about this trip; we walked the isles looking for items to check off our list as we placed them in the buggy. Having our young daughter with us was an everyday joy because she liked participating in the shopping festivities. When we would find an item we had come for, we would hand it to her so she could spin around in her seat and place it in the buggy behind her. Sometimes she would try to help us pick other items if we allowed the shelves to come within her arm’s reach, but I suppose that is normal for a child.
After a bit, we checked off all the items on our list and began to make our way toward the front of the store so we could pay and leave. Once in the area of the checkout counters, we came across a store employee riding one of those handicapped scooters, not because she could return it to the proper place, but rather because she needed it herself. She spotted our daughter and smiled nicely, asking if she could pick her up and hold her. Admittedly I was a little uneasy about it because when it comes to my children, I am very protective because of what happens to kids these days. But I agreed, and the woman bent over and gently picked up my daughter – all the while, her smile was getting broader and more genuine. So the two of them chatted with one another as the woman made casual small talk, and my daughter spoke a string of syllables that wasn’t English by any means but sounded cute nonetheless.
Then, the woman began to share some of her life with us. Being saved, my wife and I are accustomed to this as the presence of God in our lives seems to invite people to confide in us. But as the conversation continued, we found that this opportunity for ministry would be a little different. You see, this woman had a son in the military who was in an interracial marriage, much like my wife and me. She then shared with us how much she missed her grandchild and had never seen it because her son was stationed overseas. Her tone began to slowly change and reveal the real heartache that she was experiencing as the smile on her face faded. You see, never having the opportunity to hold her grandchild was a significant burden for her because she had a need that was not being met. I then began to understand why she wanted to hold our daughter, if only for a moment on that day.
At one point, it seemed like she might come to tears as she told us her story. She had carried this pain with her for a long time, a sore point. But then something very Jesus happened in only a way that he could have done it. My daughter looked into that woman’s eyes for a few seconds as she looked back. Next, my daughter reached out with her little hands, put one on each side of the woman’s face, and gently caressed her cheeks. Almost instantly, tears began to flow down the woman’s face, not from pain or suffering but from release. She immediately looked at us and said, “You have a precious little angel from God here.” God was reaching out to this woman through the gentleness of a little child. I now understand a little better why the bible instructs us to be more like children, perhaps so that we are better positioned to be used by God. So when was the last time you “Reached Out” to touch the life of someone who needed the gentle caress of God in their life?
