For so long now our church has been focusing it seems on the message that we shouldn't be cafeteria Christians. Don't pick and choose when to live our faith. Messages on listening to God's promptings and not being afraid to act on them. Stories of people who share their faith with others every day. And so what do I do when I clearly have one of THOSE moments? I fail at all of those things.
Today we were out and about running errands and since the weather was so beautiful we planned to head to a park to let Anna play for a while. We also decided to go to church tonight and had an extra 30 minutes or so for the park before church. We used our GPS to find a park near church. We aren't that familiar with the area but found a nice looking park with a merry-go-round even. You don't see those ever in parks anymore which Anna thought was awesome. But I digress.
As Chad and Anna are playing I took that time to feed Nora a bottle in the car. As I was feeding a car comes zipping into the parking lot with another closely behind it. The first car parks and the second pulls in behind as if to block the car from leaving. A man gets out of the second car and starts yelling and swearing at the girl in the first car. I didn't catch it all but he was mad about something and blamed the girl. The girl at one point gets out of the car with a knife in her hand and says she should cut his tires. They "talked" for a while but I questioned whether or not they even knew each other? It was strange and icky and I motioned Chad to come back to the car just in case.
The guy eventually gets back in his car and backs it into a parking space. They exchanged a few other words but it seemed to simmer down. I got the impression that yes they did know each other but it wasn't a good situation. Anna wanted to play some more so I said they could go and we would be fine. At this point the guy is sitting in his car in a parking spot 30+ feet away. The girl is right next to our car and fixing something on it.
She asks how old our daughter is. I say 4 months but she wanted to know about Anna. After I tell her she mentions that she has a 10 year old boy and they come here every once and while. The girl looked no more than 25 years old. Guessing she had a child very young anyway. She was dressed in a way, how should I say this? That made the impression on me that a. she doesn't have a lot of money and b. she may be a prostitute. I could see in her eyes and in her movements that she hasn't had an easy life.
Anyway, after she says she comes here occasionally with her son, I mention that we don't live around here but we're on our way to church. Oh shoot she says, today is Saturday isn't it. I missed church today at 5. And then she asks where I go to church. I told her what it was called and where it was located. I smiled and left it at that. She went to her guy friend and asked to use his phone, Chad came back to the car and we left.
Anyway, after she says she comes here occasionally with her son, I mention that we don't live around here but we're on our way to church. Oh shoot she says, today is Saturday isn't it. I missed church today at 5. And then she asks where I go to church. I told her what it was called and where it was located. I smiled and left it at that. She went to her guy friend and asked to use his phone, Chad came back to the car and we left.
So then I sat in church and all I could think about is that girl and that guy. Was she safe? Did she need someone to reach out to her to help her step away from him? Why didn't I just ask if she was ok or if she needed help? Would she have come to church with us if I had offered? Could a life have been changed?
I still sit here and still feel this incredible feelings of regret or sadness that I didn't listen to God's promptings to reach out to this person. That I let my fears stop me from offering to help, in small ways. I really can't explain exactly why I didn't do or say more. But I do know that I need to continue watching and listening for those promptings and learn from this experience today to do better the next time God puts such a blatant situation in front of me.
God, I pray tonight for that young woman. Please keep her safe from the many influences and situations she may find herself in. I don't know her or her life but from the sounds of the interaction between her and that man, it doesn't sound like a safe environment. Let my few words to her and my smiles place a seed in her heart to know and follow you. Lord, I also pray that you continue to open my eyes and ears to your promptings and thank you for this experience tonight that reminds me of the importance of sharing your love with others. Amen.
Have you been in a situation where God is totally seeing if you follow through? Tell me about a time where you did or did not listen. Or just a time where you reached out to help a complete stranger.
9 comments:
Thats hard...isnt it. The regret that you could have done more, but let yourself get in the way. Maybe tho, God used that to plant a seed. I know personally, I pray for oppertunities, and then pass them up because of fear. I do it all the time, and kick myself when its all said and done...really tho, we dont know what kind of seeds we may have planted. God could have other plans that He used you in...nad being willing is a big part of it.
Don't second guess yourself. Trust that God led you to that park so you'd be there to talk to her. A lot of people probably wouldn't have wante to answer her questions at all, but you were there for her. I cyber-pat you on the back for that (I'd hug you but we just met and I don't know how you'd feel about a hug from a stranger.) ;-)
How do you know you didn't help in a small way? Just talking to her might have been what she needed. I'm curious that after reflecting on it more, what else do you wish you had done?
Here's my story about being prompted and following through.
You know I'm an introvert, not a fan of public speaking, etc. That's what makes my experience with writing and giving a sermon last year as something that could only be from God.
Last November my church group had a discussion about getting more involved, being more welcoming, etc. We had some grand goals.
In December, planning got started for UMW Sunday (our pastor is away that day and the women of the church do the whole Sunday service). My group decided to take on the planning of the service without even knowing what the theme was supposed to be. After getting the materials to help in planning, we discovered the theme to be "Come to the Table". There couldn't have been a more appropriate theme after our discussions. Planning a service is one thing, but writing the sermon is another. I surprised myself by co-writing the sermon and then giving it.
The amazing part of writing that sermon was how easily it came together. Divinely inspired is the only way to describe it. It just flowed out of us and we knew it wasn't coming from us. While I'm always nervous about public speaking, I had this awesome sense of peace that Sunday morning. No nervousness, just peace. We received lots of positive comments and while they were nice to receive, it was easy to give credit to God for the message since there's no way we could have done it ourselves.
The way all the pieces fell together, starting in November and into February could only have come from God.
while i agree that doing more or asking questions is a good thing in some instances, i don't think it's something you should do when you have your kids with you. you just never know what could happen and that instinct, that feeling of fear is there for a reason. who knows if that guy would have went crazy on you if you asked her if she was ok.
i say trust your gut. don't feel badly. God wants you to protect yourself & your family and He will always provide you opportunities to live His word. never jepordize your safety though!
Oh the honesty. Love it. It is a constant struggle to discern these types of situations. I have found myself in similar situations, some I have acted on, others not. God has a way of using things that are way beyond my or your sight. My question to you is do you think you would have questioned this situation a year or two ago...wondering...having her on your heart the way you did last night? If the answer is no, then God is growing you friend. Love ya!
Don't be too hard on yourself. After reading this post, I said a little prayer for that young woman, and I'm sure that the others who read this post did so as well.
I'm not a church-going person, so my answer may or may not be helpful...but there was an argument and a knife involved. A knife. I don't care that the knife was going to be used to "slash a tire." All too quickly, that knife could have become a deadly weapon. Helping others is a wonderful thing, but not at the risk of harm to your own family. I think you did just fine under the circumstances.
I agree with others Tina, don't be hard on yourself. I think that by talking to her and not running away in fear you were following God's promptings. And every interaction plants a seed. I think you handled it really well.
Maybe knowing the name of a church in the area was all she really needed. Maybe you''ll see her there next week. Don't second guess yourself. It does no good. (hugs) Thanks for sharing this story.
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