Years ago before becoming a nurse, I worked second shift in Fort Payne, One day prior to going to work, I was busy trying to get my house cleaned before I had to leave. As I washed the dishes, I noticed that with each dish I picked up, I would think about Sarah.
I hurried to vacuum my floor and to make my bed, but still, all I could think about was Sarah, a little girl that I had gone to school with. I could see her face in my mind as vivid as the day we rode the school bus together. I couldn’t understand why after twenty years I couldn’t stop thinking about her. It was obvious that God had put her on my heart for a reason, but all I knew to do was pray. I fell down on my knees asking the Lord to be with her, and to meet her needs. I then hustled around trying to get out the door so that I would not be late for work.
It was foggy that day with a mist of rain which made it difficult to drive to and make good- time. As I drove around a curve, I noticed a woman walking on the side of the road picking up cans. She was carrying a baby on one hip with two small children following behind. I couldn’t help but look back in my rear -view mirror because of the children. As I watched, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I immediately said out loud, “Lord it's Sarah!”
I wanted to stop, but I knew that if I did that I would be late for work. All night I was so upset because I knew that God had put her on my heart, and now in my path, and I couldn’t do anything about it. I promised God that if He would help me get through the night that I wouldn’t quit the next day until I found her, and that is exactly what I did.
As I pulled into her driveway, I knew that she was living a hard life. It was an old run-down farmhouse that was in desperate need of paint. The porch was falling in on one side, and the roof had visible holes. As I walked into the house the first thing I noticed was that part of the floors were dirt, and the cabinet doors were falling off or gone. All I knew to do was just be honest as to why I was there. I told Sarah that I had been thinking of her and had noticed her walking on the road that same day, but I couldn’t stop due to work.
As I looked at her, big tears were running down her face. She said that she thought she had been forgotten, and how unloved she felt. She told how her husband had left her with five children to raise alone. Shecouldn’t do it, and explained how she had to move in the farmhouse with her mother for some help.
I told Sarah there was no way that I could understand everything she had gone through, but what I did know was that God had certainly not forgotten her. He knew exactly where she was and what she needed, and He had sent me to let her know that she was loved. I asked if there was any specific need that we could help with. It was late November, and she wanted to know if we could help her buy Christmas for her kids. She explained that was why she had been picking up cans.
The response from the church was overwhelming. All the children got toys, clothes, and food. As we delivered the gifts, we all sang and prayed, and there was tons of laughter that night. Right there in that moment, Sarah was happy. She knew that she was loved and that she was not forgotten. She watched as her children laughed and tore into their Christmas presents and Sarah was beaming. It was a great night! The Lord really showed up and showed out for Sarah.
It wasn't too long after that night that I received word that she was gone. Sarah has been killed in a car accident. God knew that He was about to take her home and that she needed to be reminded that she was loved, and her kids needed that special time with her. I’m sure it was a day that they will never forget.
I want to remind you that Elijah did hear God in the wind, the earthquake or the fire, but it was in a still small voice that he heard God.
No comments:
Post a Comment