Thursday, March 3
Speaking of Empathy
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. —Ephesians 4:2
For the past year I have been part of a group studying Jesus in the Gospels. Last week our lesson centered around the women who went to the tomb only to discover Jesus was not there. They encountered angels who told them not to be afraid. We shared about the angels who have touched our lives.
Memories took me back 45 years. My two sons were in elementary school and I was blessed to be a stay-at-home mom. Suddenly our world was turned upside down when my husband of 12 years, their father, decided he no longer wanted to be married. He moved away to begin his new life, and I was left a single mom to raise my two children.
I was crushed, devastated, worried about how we would survive. It took all I had to just put one foot in front of the other and to make it through one day at a time. In the silence of my worry I kept hearing, “Be still and know that I am God.” He knew what I needed.
Over the next days, weeks and months my life was filled with angels – Lynn, Pat, Rose, Judy, Marilyn and others whose names I do not recall – some just for a moment and others for a while. They were there to listen, hug and hold my hand – to be the footprints in the sand. I remember Lynn when she took us to her house the day my husband packed up his belongings and drove away. And Pat – I was at her house after my son’s swim lesson – it was one of the darkest days. She would not let me leave until she was assured I was OK.
They were the hands and feet of Jesus. Years have gone by, and I no longer have contact but my life is much richer because of them. I wish I could have told them how much their very presence meant. I only hope that I have been that angel in someone else’s life.
Gracious Lord. Thank you for loving me and sending angels in my time of need. Open my eyes and ears to know when someone needs me to listen, care, and show your love. Amen.
Lenni Stickles