And after the fire came a gentle whisper. (1 Kings 19:12)
A recent trip to JCPenney provided an unexpected opportunity to connect with a stranger. When I was checking out, I noticed that the employee was wearing a sparkly necklace in the shape of a paw print. I hesitated to say anything. My shyness still comes out sometimes in these situations, but I felt a nudge, then thought, Why not? What could it hurt? Almost everyone appreciates a compliment, right?
So I complimented her on the necklace, and she told me that she’s a dog mom. She mentioned that she doesn’t have any kids of her own, but her dog is her baby. I told her that I’m the same way—and then I showed her a picture of Charlie I pulled up on my phone. She, in turn, showed me a picture of her dog. We talked about how spoiled they are and laughed, knowing exactly what the other meant.
It was such a brief encounter, but it left an impression on me. If I had stayed quiet, as I usually do, I would have missed connecting with her. She seemed excited to share the photo of her little dog.
The Holy Spirit speaks to us in many ways—sometimes through nudges like the one I had that day in the store. I don’t know what that woman was going through, but she made a point to say more than once that she doesn’t have kids of her own. In our isolated world, maybe she just needed to meet someone in the same situation to know that she’s not alone.
I know I’m guilty of ignoring those nudges on many occasions. I’m afraid the other person will find me weird or awkward. But you know what? That’s okay. The older I get, the less I worry about that. The more time I spend with God—reading the Bible, praying—the easier it is to hear him when he speaks. And if God wants to speak to someone through me, then who am I to keep my mouth shut? I can only pray that the next time I feel that nudge, I won’t hesitate to open my mouth and speak.
Dear Jesus, thank you for providing the opportunity to connect with a stranger and discover we share a similar life situation. I pray that it brought her comfort and peace to know she’s not alone. Help me to listen to the Holy Spirit’s voice and to act when prompted. Amen.
Interesting. Often I don’t know what I need to do but need to be open to what the the Spirit of God moves me to do. Not necessarily a grand act, but a simple gesture of friendship, towards someone who finds it difficult to have a friend.