The Lord has been pressing this memory so strongly on my heart recently. A memory from years ago that I had nearly forgotten. Thankfully my Father has been so kind in incorporating this story into my daily life here in Laos. I haven’t had a single day on this island where it hasn’t crossed my mind.
This story is from roughly eight years ago. A season of life where I was completely oblivious to how fulfilling a relationship with Christ truly is.
19 year old me, sitting in the prescription waiting line at Walmart. Grief slapped on my face. The night prior, I had dealt with heartbreak (no need to go into detail about that). It’s interesting – when I wasn’t pursuing a loving God, I’d crumbled to pieces at the simplest inconvenience. I sat there eagerly waiting for my name to be called, hoping I could endure the pain for just a tad longer. Holding the tears back, I starred at the tacky tiles on the floor for what seemed like years.
Out of the blue, a pair of bright, sparkling-pink sandals appeared right before me (you know, the ones you’d expect to see at most Walmarts). I looked up to find a woman I had never met before, standing oddly close to me. I thought, surely she isn’t aware of how close she is or maybe she needs something.
She looked worried and I was starting to become uncomfortable, so I forced a smile across my face and greeted her with a soft, “hello.” What she said next, I’ll never forget.
“Hey, honey,” she said in her thick southern accent. “I saw you sittin’ and felt the Lord call me over here and pray for you. Can I pray for you?”
I couldn’t believe it. This woman I had never crossed paths with before, went out of her way to be obedient to what the Father was calling her to. At this point of my life, I knew who Jesus was, but I had yet to grasp on to how deep and rich His love for me is. Imagine how special you would feel, if Jesus told someone to love on you while you were facing hardship, when you hadn’t even built a relationship with Him yet…
For the first time that day, I felt a load lifted off my chest. As if I could take full breaths again. I stood up to meet her and without any hesitation, wrapped my arms around her. Fully embracing her, tears trickled down my cheeks. She held me back. Tightly. She proclaimed victory over me, prophesied, declared His presence over me and if I’m being honest, I had NO idea what was happening. But I loved it. Every single second of it.
Eight years later, and I still have no idea who this woman is. I never saw her again. But that gracious, obedient, bold woman of God did something that day. She planted a seed in me. Jesus Christ used her. This sister of mine has no idea what happened to me after that day. She has no idea that I am writing this blog, in Laos, on an 11 month missions trip, now being the one used to bring Kingdom down to Earth. My Father has so perfectly ordained everything, all for His glory.
This is all something we come face-to-face with frequently while on the Race. We pour out to communities, build relationships, captivate deep bonds with people…and then we leave. Sometimes, we don’t get to see the fruit of our labor. But the Lord has been constantly showing me how beautiful and privileged I am to be, at times, a ‘seed planter.’
I don’t know if the Lord will guide our steps to one another here on Earth again. But I’m excited to embrace, and be embraced, by my sister again in Heaven.
