150 Seconds. That’s all it takes to change a life.
You change a moment, and you never know what that moment may mean for someone’s day.
You change someone’s day, and you never know what that day could mean for someone’s life.
You change a life, and you never know what that could mean for all the lives that come in contact.
Today I witnessed a life-change within a 150 second car ride.
But don’t ask me how. Ask Superwoman.
There was nothing too peculiar about this morning. Just another ordinary day. Now I do mean that, of course, in the context the phrase is most commonly thrown around. Really, no one day can be too ordinary. As white clumps of water float above us, constantly moving and changing; As our ocean’s tides crash farther into, and further away from the shore due to a gravitational pull from the moon; While we have trees that keep us alive; And as we witness wildlife flourish and wither away; We couldn’t really see every day as ‘another day’, could we? As the earth turns, rotates around the sun, and is distanced at the perfect measurements needed for our survival, we couldn’t really see every day as ‘another day’, could we? As sounds and sights exist all around us in which the human senses are incapable of picking up on, nothing could seem too ordinary, could it? I could go on and on, but for the sake of both your time and mine, I won’t. Just please, don’t miss the phenomenon that is the creation. Don’t miss the good, inexplicable, grace that reveals itself as a sun sets and a sun rises. There is more to this place than what meets an eye or an ear immersed in culture.
The warm reminders of infinite love are all around.
There is nothing normal about this place!
But, back to my story.
I began my morning by continuously resetting my alarm, which is what deemed this morning as ordinary for me, until I had no choice but to get up. It was one of those ‘at least let me finish this action-packed dream before I have to get up’ mornings. One of those close your eyes as hard as you can, and pull the covers tightly over your body to will-yourself back to sleep, type of mornings. Some mornings I’m one of those guys. I had plans to grab coffee with a fellow friend, and mentor of mine. It took about twenty minutes to decide against making up some legitimate-sounding excuse for why I wouldn’t make it to coffee, but I finally got up and headed down to our spot.
You never know what may lie ahead. No day is too similar.
Let me fast forward my story.
I stayed at that coffee shop about two hours after my buddy had already gone to work. At this point, I found myself enjoying the quiet created by my ear plugs, and had found a spot I could ‘claim’ by setting my backpack in the other seat so that no one would interrupt as I worked away on a couple projects.
Finally, an escape from humanity. Or so I thought.
I had not been focused, or attentive, on my surroundings that morning. I was simply immersed in, and focused on, my writing. But as I was sitting there I suddenly was drawn to look up, and as I did, I watched as a shorter lady stumbled clumsily in the door. All I saw from my perspective was a woman slightly sagging her pants, heading for some coffee… So I quickly went back to doing my work. But something about her, again, caught my eye. I didn’t look up at anyone else that morning. No one else grabbed my attention the way she did.
I looked as she stood in line. She smiled from ear to ear, attempting to engage in encouraging conversation with those standing with her. I found it incredible the way she approached everyone. So simple. Genuinely out of love.
“I like them shoes there you got on. Sure are pretty!” She mumbled to a lady in front of her in line. I must admit that was as loud as I have ever heard someone mumble, but it quickly drew a smile to my face.
“How are you doing today?” She asked the lady at the register.
I listened intently, for her few words had already drawn me in.
“Good, Darlin’. Let me guess, you want an iced coffee.” The lady behind the counter responded.
“You know it” Superwoman sputtered back as she let out a slight giggle.
I watched as she chugged her coffee and walked viciously around the store. I must admit, I was very intrigued; And it wasn’t 5 minutes before she wanted another one. She went back to the front and got one, while I wagered to myself how quickly this one would go down. As she walked away from grabbing her second tall iced coffee, she began to inch closer and closer to me. I remained as still as a statue, and glared at her movements out of the corner of my eye. I attempted to create the illusion that my eyes were intently focused on my paper, while I crossed my fingers she wouldn’t do exactly what she did.
“Is someone sitting there, sir?” She questioned with a difficult-to-understand slur to it.
Dang it.
I thought to myself, ‘yeah my backpacks sitting there and I would really like to continue in my sweet solitude this morning’.
But I went the other route. You know, that route you never knew was a route at all.
“Oh absolutely not” I said in my fake sweet voice. “You’re more than welcomed to sit there. Let me move my backpack.”
She thanked me, sat down, and continued doing what she did best. Chugging that coffee. I also went back to what I was doing, which was halfway writing and halfway paying attention to her. She sat there, and it couldn’t have been more than a couple minutes before she had slurped down her second large iced coffee. And it couldn’t have been any less than a couple minutes that she continued to slurp the empty cup of ice to ensure there were no drops of coffee hiding inside the crevasses of the cup. After finishing, she stood up, stretched, looked my way, and as quiet as she could, yet loud enough for anyone in the shop to hear, asked, “It’s really cold in here. Will you watch my stuff so I can go get some heat out there?”
“Of course I will. Go get you some heat.” I responded.
I fell in love with the way she carried herself. With no care in the world what people thought of her.
Just a genuine, gentle heart.
I will add, there was no doubt she had Down Syndrome. She constantly was drooling on herself without the ability to control it, and she wasn’t capable of speaking as clearly as most are capable of.
But she did hold something each of us could learn from.
As I was getting ready to leave, she came back in and thanked me for watching her stuff. I spoke with her for a second and wished her a wonderful remainder of the day before rushing to my car. I was ready to leave, but she insisted she would follow me out for some more heat; And as she did so, we engaged again in conversation that led me to, again, wrap up our conversation by wishing her a good day.
I walked off to my car, somewhat in relief.
I took in a deep breath. Finally a couple more minutes of solitude! Being alone, though can cause loneliness, really becomes a safe place to live. It’s comfortable. Too comfortable. You don’t have to worry about anyone but yourself.
As I started my car, I looked up and saw her approaching my window. She didn’t know whether or not to come up to me, and the uncertainty was apparent in her steps. I rolled my window down, and as I did she asked it. Simultaneously I thought to myself, ‘oh boy Braham, here you go again’. I knew what was coming.
“Could you give me a ride maybe?” she asked while nervously twiddling her fingers.
I pondered internally for what felt like minutes, but in reality I didn’t hesitate… “Absolutely! Where to?”
“Starbucks, please!”
I chuckled to myself and agreed to take her.
A couple minutes later she made it out of the coffee shop with all of her stuff. You see, I came to find out that she didn’t like this places iced coffee much at all. At least not as much as Starbucks! I pictured the way she would take down her next two cups upon arrival. I wondered who would watch in awe of her as I did. Hopefully someone like myself, in need of a superwoman.
We talked in the car on the way to Starbucks. We talked about coffee, and mornings. We talked about how we all need help at times in life, and how we have the opportunity to be that for the people around us. I wasn’t sure if she was picking up on my words, but I soon realized that she may comprehend the ideas much more so than I. We talked about how we have the opportunity to change lives just by being nice. We talked in very simple words about very complex and profound topics. Such as the power of love, and the way the world around us is.
Then at one point, out of nowhere, she looked at me and complimented, “you’re awfully nice.”
I repeated back, “You’re awfully nice”
A grin danced brightly across her face, “Thanks. I wish more people were nice.”
“Me too” I snickered in agreement, “Unfortunately a lot of people don’t know what love looks or feels like”.
And then in a very vague, yet powerful, manner she posed a question.
“Do you believe in that?”
“In what?” I remarked out of confusion.
I had no idea what she meant.
“In people being mean. I just feel bad for people who are mean all the time. There’s got to be something to it, you know? We weren’t created to be mean. I just wonder how they can turn nice again.”
I stopped.
I thought about what she was saying for a second. Grace, that is. I thought about the way God sees us. I thought about how my life had changed completely because God had excused the inexcusable in me.
I slightly smirked and whispered back, “No. I don’t.”
I wondered if God has the same thoughts about us as this woman did.
Even though she had been ridiculed against, and laughed at, more than most of us will ever experience. Even though she is unable to connect to social society in the same way most are. Even though she may be incapable of learning at the same speed, and without the ability to control her motor skills in the same way majority of humanity can. And even though she’s had to deal with more persecution from ignorant humanity than most because of it, She looks at the broken world with empathy. Through a lens of Grace.
She walked in love despite the world around her.
She relates to God in that sense.
Even though Jesus had been ridiculed against, and laughed at, more than most of us will ever experience. Even though He approached the world in love, and the world rejected Him. Even though He was persecuted against more than most can ever imagine. Even though He died an unimaginable death with the weight of all our sin upon him, He looks at the broken world with empathy. Through a lens of Grace.
He walked in love despite the world around Him.
That is what a superhero is made of, and I have come to believe we all have a superhero hidden within us. Embedded in the depths of our soul, is a fierce love that eagerly awaits its own awakening. You control it.
A great man, Bob Nelson, whom I unfortunately never got the opportunity to meet, once wrapped up a poem with these profound words:
“Let God be God, and You be Love.”
Many need to hear it. More need to believe it.
Let God do His job & You do yours.
This morning I met a Superwoman. She’s doing her job, too.
She knows no day can be too ordinary. She knew that within us all lay a superhero that may just be hidden behind layers of protection and anger. She understood that around each corner was someone new who may momentarily need a superwoman.
Her solution to the hurt of this world was not one of imprisonment. She posed a question of empowerment. Don’t miss that..
She also seemed to understand that any moment can change a day, any day could change a life, and a changed life could change lives.
It is simple, you see. Love. But oh how powerful.
Love appears to be the ultimate ethic this world has to offer. The ultimate answer to our desires, in all of its many forms. But love is not only a feeling, my friends. Love is more of an action. To love is to sacrifice out of desire. To love is to empathize with humanity, and offer your hands in the midst. To clear up room in an area of your heart, and allow another to reside within that area. It does not include safety. It does not include comfort. Because at any moment, anything could cause that area to become vacant. Love is not a victory cry over diminished pain. Love is a firm whisper in the midst of the battles that gently reminds us of why our wounds have been absorbed.
Because Love wins.
Always.
