I could hear her even before I could see her. There was something about her loudly yelling down the street that you couldn’t help but notice. As we got closer, the children’s sized Santa hat that she wore and the Christmas garland that was wrapped around her neck, along with the four or five layers of clothes on her back, made her quite a spectacle on this calm back street in the heart of Atlanta’s downtown.
Our conversation went on from there and she told us about how she’d gone through a bible training school and how some people had given her a bible. She told us her trouble in getting an apartment and a job and we offered to pray. She told us that was exactly what she was doing when we walked up…praying in the spirit.
Perfect. I love it when your assumptions are shattered. She looked cracked out to me from 20 feet away and while we were talking with her and exchanging stories about the goodness of God Shawna exclaimed, “I’m crazier than you are!” To which she laughed and shook her head in agreement with a huge grin.
I couldn’t help but smile too. What a beautiful time of encouragement between three fellow sisters. Her smile was so bright. I’ll never forget her face and the lesson she taught me about making assumptions based on outward appearances. How many times do we judge a book by its cover or walk right on by someone in our rush to go about our business? And who knows? Maybe she really was cracked out, but it doesn’t really matter. What I do know is that the light of Jesus shone brightly on this one that most wouldn’t see as a light in the darkness.
Who will notice them?
