I was reminded of an incident in the last week of a conversation I had with a co-worker a few years ago and the opportunity that followed. This happened when I was working as a corrections monitor in a work release facility for a Non profit corrections agency.
A co-worker that I had a lot of respect for because of her Spiritual faith and encouragement to others, came to me one day in my office and began to tell me she wasn't sure she had enough faith in God. I was shocked because this co-worker was consistently a living testimony to the people around her of Faith. She had overcome many challenges in life and shared her witness and testimony with everyone. She had a special gift of encouragement that she generously dished out. My first response was that God was the giver of faith and gives a measure to each of us. I asked her why she felt that she lacked faith. She explained that she was living out her witness to God but never saw any results. I told her that because of her faith and diligence in living her faith outwardly that her results were all around her. The people she shared with and encouraged were uplifted and that they would have another chance to choose to live a better life. She mentioned that her Pastor had given a series of messages on Faith and for whatever reason she was beginning to doubt her abilities in the Faith area. (I'll skip the part about Pastors that should be more careful or aware of the influence they have on people in their care). So I began to just try and reassure her of her special gifts and the influence on the people she Faithfully and compassionately served. About the time I needed to rap up this conversation and get to work the phone rang. I answered the phone, a lady on the other end of the phone was frantic and telling me she needed help, that they had no food, they were disabled, that they couldn't pay their utilities, ect. I interrupted the woman and told her that she had reached a work release drug testing facility and that she would need to call a social services agency, I would help her find that number. She interrupted me and told me this was the only number she could call and she just wanted and needed us to help her. After several more attempts to try and direct her to a different agency she became increasingly insistent and finally said "Are going to help me or not?" I told her "Yes, may I have your address and phone number." I jotted down the information and she hung up. My co-worker of course heard one side of the conversation and my responses, but of course she could tell there was some miscommunication. She asked me what that was about. I paused thinking about it for a couple seconds and said "Well, I think God wants you to see what faith really is about." I gave my co-worker the list of needs that this woman had dictated to me, gave her the address & phone number, and said "what are you going to do?" She was a little flabbergasted and confused and said she'd have to go think about it and pray. I said well let me know what you want to do and I'll help you with whatever you decide. She came back an hour later and told me she had told all the rest of our co-workers in the office about the phone call and they all wanted to help and were gathering all the items together. I told her I would be happy to deliver them since the following day was my day off.
The next morning I loaded about a dozen bags of groceries into my van and set off to deliver them. I arrived at the house, took them inside and that was that. Honestly, the people that were there, didn't seem to need them. But that's a different lesson. For several weeks later the office was absolutely buzzing with this odd little phone call, and the opportunity that everyone had to make a difference. Many people had various reasons for why this had occurred. But one thing was agreed upon was, it's always better to give than to receive.
My friends Faith was restored. We had another opportunity to show God's grace and mercy. And we had another one of life's many mysteries to ponder.
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