Back in the summer, I got an email from the Associate Pastor at my home church, Peachtree Road United Methodist, asking if I would be willing to write an entry for this year's Advent Devotional.
Willing?! Are you kidding?
No one has ever asked me to write something for a specific purpose. I was thrilled and humbled by this request and immediately knew the story I wanted to share.
My entry was slotted for today, so here it is. I hope it might warm your heart a bit...
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John 16:33
“I have told you these things, so
that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take
heart! I have overcome the world.
Finding things in the dark is pretty difficult, and it
was dark that day – really dark. It wasn’t dark outside, mind you, but I felt
nothing but darkness all around me. My heart was so heavy because of a very
difficult situation that I’d gotten myself into. There was no one else to
blame. It was all on me.
I can’t even remember where I was going that day when I
called up an Uber ride, but I remember getting in the car and being greeted by
a very cheerful woman who told me her name was Deborah. I could tell that
Deborah was going to be a talker which, under normal circumstances, I would
have loved, but on this day, all I could think was, “UGH.” I was right about
Deb. She chatted with me about the weather (it was a beautiful day outside),
and she asked how I was doing to which I responded, “Eh. Pretty good. How are
you?” She went on to tell me about her daughter who would be graduating soon
and how proud she was of her. She told me about how the extra income from
driving for Uber would help with the expenses of having a kid in college.
“Every little bit helps!” she said. As she continued telling me about her life,
I was thankful that I didn’t have to do any of the talking.
As we reached my destination, Deborah turned and looked
at me in the backseat and said, “Well, it was great meeting you, Amy. Can I
give you this?” She handed me a postcard with a lot of handwriting on the back.
I took it from her, and she told me, “I like to give these out sometimes or
just leave them around town in random places. Maybe you could leave this one
somewhere for someone else later.” I said, “ok” with confusion in my voice,
thanked her for the ride, and closed the door as I stepped out into the
sunshine to read what she had written.
This is what the postcard said…
“Hello. I know we’ve never met before but I am writing
this for you. Yes you. You are an incredible person. I hope your day has been
okay so far and you have been able to find a few silly things in this wacky
world to make you laugh and smile. You do have a beautiful smile. You are loved
and cared for by many people, and you deserve love and care. You make the world
a better place just being you. You don’t need to do anything extraordinary. Who
you are is enough. You are enough. You are unique. You are irreplaceable. You
are needed. You have purpose. Thank you for all the wonderful things you do. I
hope the rest of your day is amazing.
YOU ARE OKAY NO MATTER WHAT”
And just like that, a little light crept in bringing with it the warmth of love and peace that I desperately needed. I saw Jesus in Deborah that day, and I didn’t even know it until after I’d gotten out of her car.
Take heart, my friends! Look around today - and I mean really look - at the people that cross your path. One of them might be Jesus, and he or she may have just the kind of peace that only Jesus knows that you need.
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