Good Morning,
The house is a little cold this morning so the fireplace has a small fire in it. I feel content today and and am looking forward to spending some time with my nephew today. My cup of Door County Maple Coffee is heated just right so I can see steam rising above the rim.
Isaiah 6:8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I, send me."
Have you ever seen a person who is in front of you, and engaging with you, but you know that their mind just isn't into it? They are alive, walking and talking, but beyond the eyes, it is as if they were dead. This is something that I seem to be able to pick up on easily. I usually find that the person is going through something terrible. For instance, when a divorce is sprung on someone who in a million years would never want to divorce, that experience just sucks the life right out of them. A death in the family will do the same thing to some people, especially a suicide. A runaway or missing child is a terrible thing to endure. I have seen this firsthand when my wife and I did youth work, back in the day. Victims of natural disasters or fires don't know where to turn. Hurricane Katrina brought many displaced people to our hometown, our church served food at a Red Cross shelter. Total strangers, just the clothes on their backs, no work, no homes to return to needed a friend. Some were like walking zombies just not knowing where to turn.
I was trained to be able to spot someone who possibly could be a victim of sex trafficking. People by day who might hold down a small job who then by night are forced into the world of sex crime. I have talked with a few victims and it seems as if they hear you, acknowledge you, but are looking beyond you for their life. They as well as the others are "dead behind the eyes".
Have you ever thought that since you might be the one who encounters someone experiencing great grief, that God has positioned you to help in someway? I will be blunt here and say that these experiences listed above all happen on a daily basis.
You can console someone going through an unwanted divorce, death in the family, missing children, sex trafficking.
Clean a house. Some one going through a nightmare doesn't feel like cleaning. Make a meal. If it seems to work, eat with the person or family. Laundry! Who feels like doing laundry when your kid is missing. Volunteer to staff a shelter or repair one. I was with a group who did repairs on an old youth camp once, while we reached out to an area drenched in sex trafficking. We fed young people and played volleyball with them, leaving literature behind telling whoever how to reach out for help if they were victims of sex trafficking. In a week we were able to start the ball rolling for two young people. Yard work is always there and can be done. Pray with them. Stretch yourself to put your faith into action. Sometimes, just seeing someone helping and showing love in action helps immensely.
Believe it our not my friends. You hold the key to unlocking hope for others. God sent you.
Marty
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