They were loud. Obnoxious. They had been out all night long. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t funny, even hilarious. They were drunk.
The room smelled like alcohol.
As I laid my head on the pillow I prayed to God for them. I wanted to understand them. Where they were in life. I was once there. I spent years there.
Little did I know the next day, he would get in a motorbike accident. He needed a nurse. I spent the next few hours scraping charcoal pavement out from the road rash in his shoulder, forearm, and knees. Treating his wounds.
For the next week, he was unable to drink, go out, or live the life he came to Chiang Mai to live. Because of this, I would get the opportunity to share in his life.
Seeing him, he looked like any other normal guy. Just enjoying life each day at a time. But inside, he was holding on to pains of his past. He grew up in the UK, his father a professional fisherman. He said that he had to grow up fast in life. He would work all night long at his job, then come home in the morning and work for his dad’s fishing shop. He said his family never got the real picture of life and they didn’t understand him, and what he wanted out of life. He was stuck. Like most of us in life. He had love in his life, and without warning she left; she wanted different things in her life. He was wearing thin, and after finding out about a lump mass in his body, his granddad told him to leave the UK and go live “his” life.
And so, that is what he did.
He lived his life on “signs”
…….. If he got a sign, he would go.
He got a “sign” from a family member shortly thereafter and without hesitation he up and left for Australia. He didn’t even say goodbye. He just left. Not questioning or looking behind him. For over a year he worked on a banana farm. Working in Australia is good money. Long days of working, then partying at night. Waiting for his next sign.
Him and a few of his friends would decide to visit Thailand. They would book one-way tickets and go from there. When he would get a sign, he’d go.
Coming to Chiang Mai they would end up staying in the same hostel room as my team and I.
They had planned to go on a safari trip to ride elephants and pet tigers but because of his injuries from the motorbike accident they needed to post pone the trip another day.
So my team, him, and his friends went to ride elephants, pet tigers and have a fun excursion day with them.
The day was brilliant. It was beautiful weather; We rode elephants!!! The elephants even knew how to draw pictures. Petting tigers and taking pictures with them at tiger kingdom was amazing. We even took a bamboo raft down the river, so peaceful and beautiful. We ended the day at a flower and butterfly farm. The day couldn’t have been any more perfect.
I learned a lot of him that week. Where he was, came from, his hurts, pains and even celebrations. He was okay with death. He was even ready for it. He lived his life day to day, with no care in the world. I could tell he was holding baggage that no one ever should have to carry in life.
Throughout the week I was able to share Jesus with him, the one who saved my life. I opened a bible to him; He had never opened or held one in his life. Loving him like Jesus loves him, I wanted him to know that he was still being sought after. That there was really more to life then the next drink, or party.
You see he would help me too. Some days on the world race you wonder if what you’re doing really even makes a difference in life. But I knew if he was the reason I came on this World Race trip, If I was to even reach one soul, then leaving, selling everything I had was worth it all.
One night in the hostel lobby I asked if I could pray for him. He kindly agreed and after the prayer looking up I see tears flowing from his eyes. He had never prayed with anyone. No one had ever prayed for him.
Days after parting ways and leaving Chiang Mai he would send me a message…
“I just wanted to say thank you again. You were the pair of ears, the healing hands and loving heart I needed in my life at that time. I will be forever grateful for this. You mended things for me you will never know. You made me change my mind about things. I know where I am going now. I have a different look on life and want different things. I want to do something in my life not just waste it. I know now that I am important in doing something. I just know I want something more and I’m ready to start and make a change. I am not ready to leave this world just yet anymore. I want to be a protector for someone. And I want to help people to get to the next day. “
And then on the next day:
“I’m getting so many signs it’s freaking me out a little. I was on the boat and someone sat to like the side of me and took their top off and had a tattoo of Jesus on the cross, now my best mate from back home just snap chatted me a video of my sisters husband doing karaoke and he just says “he doesn’t look a thing like Jesus.”
“I know for a fact you have changed my life and I already see things in a better way. You seemed to have shined a light down my path to guide me. I will let Him in. I believe in signs. I am going to read this book, (the bible I gave him) I am hoping he will leave me more signs to pursue me,”
You really don’t know whom you are going to meet or run into in life. You may just have that one opportunity and you may realize they are beautiful people. Everyone needs someone at some point in his or her life. And its just that little courtesy or love showed to someone that can make a difference in his or her life.
This month has been hard on me. There is no lie that being away for the holidays is lonely. There is no doubt that some days you wake up and wonder why you are halfway across the world doing what your doing. But Someone reminded me of this:
“You are loved. You are valuable. You are crafted with beauty and purpose. I treasure you and this world needs you. There is no one like you. You don’t need to look like the rest, or talk like the rest, or be like the rest. There is no truth in the lie that you don’t matter. The world needs you as you are. You are loved and you were put here for a reason. You were not an accident. You are not a mistake.”
We get so caught up in life living for ourselves that we miss out on what Jesus really wants from us. To love others in such a way that he loves us.
Like branches on a vine, our Christian life is a growth process. We mature more every day. As we abide in Jesus, we learn to know him better and trust him more. Cautiously, we reach out to others. We love them. The greater our trust in Christ, the greater our compassion will be.
God’s love is the one thing all of us seek in life, whether we realize it or not. If you have found yourself disillusioned after reaching some goal you’ve chased for years, you’re beginning to understand the reason why. That longing you can’t put into words is your soul’s desire for God’s love.
You can deny it, fight it or try to ignore it, but God’s love is the missing piece in the puzzle that is you. You will always be incomplete without it.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 ?If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. (NIV)
Our job is to love others. It’s not always easy. Most days we have our own agenda. We don’t have time to fit anyone into what we have going on. I’m glad I had time for Tom. I’m glad God allowed me into his life. I know God is pursuing him. And I believe God has huge plans for his life. Tom helped me too. This journey isn’t easy, but he made it worth it, every moment of it.
So Shine your light to others today no matter where you are. It might be someone who needs it the most. I am so blessed to have had this opportunity in my life. Please continue to pray for my new friend Tom and his journey in life. That he continues to find the light of our Savior Jesus Christ.
“Our lives are storybooks that we write for ourselves; wonderfully illustrated by the people we meet.”
Love and Blessings always,
Sarah
