It was odd for me to work during the week, but I was asked if I could help Mindy out at the shop on Tuesday. Running extremely late (probably the latest yet), my commute should have only taken six minutes; however, timing and traffic made it more like twenty.
Due to my late departure from home, I unexpectedly ran into the local elementary school's dismissal of the children. I not only had to slow down to turtle-mode but I also stopped to let the long convoy of buses out; it was the right thing to do to keep them on schedule.
Then I waited at the red light. As the light finally turned green, I had to wait for the car in front of me to turn left. I got through the light only to get stopped by one of the school buses (that I let out, by the way) that was unloading kids from school. The wait seemed forever and I was getting a little impatient because there were no kids getting off of the bus. But then sure enough, this little girl with obvious physical handicaps (thick metal leg braces and two canes) came out from the front of the bus and slowly walked across the street with her mom. Bless her heart...curse mine.
The flow of traffic started moving again, but only about a hundred yards due to the red light at the square.
After the light cycled and turned green again I was only minutes away now, as long as no further obstacles hindered me from getting to work. After I parked the car, I high-tailed it up the back steps and into work, hoping Mindy wouldn't notice just how late I was.
As I scurried past the dressing rooms I took note that they were empty, so chances that Mindy wasn't busy(and didn't need my help right away) were pretty good. The store was quiet except I heard Mindy's voice and I assumed she was talking on the phone. However, I discovered she wasn't alone when I walked in on her and a customer.
It wasn't an awkward interruption. The conversation looked like it was coming to an end, any way. I walked in to hear the girl thanking Mindy for listening to her. She said that she really needed someone to talk to; someone who would understand. I, not even knowing what the conversation was about, smiled and announced that Mindy was the perfect person for that. She really was.
As the girl left, I caught a good glimpse of her face. Pale, flat...lifeless. And sad. Very sad. The front door chimed as she walked out and back into the world. Mindy let out a big sigh and proceeded to tell me about her encounter with this girl. The girl's name was Carrie and she had come in to see if we bought wedding dresses. She told Mindy that her fiance had walked out on her and her two children so she didn't need the dress anymore. She shared with Mindy a very sad and tragic story that she obviously felt comfortable telling Mindy.
Mindy recounted to me the events of this girl's life; sexually abused by her father until she was fifteen, her mother blaming her for it all. Her brother is in prison for attempting to kill their father for what he did to his sister. Then more molestation by other men, one being the stepdad she now lives with along with her two kids. The pain digs deeper with the knowledge that her 10 month old daughter has a rare blood disease that will eventually kill her.
She told Mindy that she did have a case worker who strongly suggested that she move out of her current living situation and into one of the women and children shelters in Harrisburg. She then confessed that she didn't know what to do; she felt like their was no hope for her. She even had begun to explore religion and faith, searching for answers.
And that opened the door for Mindy to share her story. Mindy had told me that as Carrie was sharing her life with her, she was having difficulty finding words to say to this poor soul. All she could do was listen. Let me tell you something about Mindy. She never...EVER...is at a loss for words. But when Carrie had revealed that she was open to hearing about faith, Mindy said that she suddenly felt empowered...led... to open up and share her own story of her time in darkness.
Rewind to two weeks ago. Apparently, Miss Mindy openly and boldly prayed for God to bring into her life hurting people who needed someone to listen to them. She then could share with them her own life experience and how she is the way she is because of what God had done for her. She wanted the opportunity to share hope with the hopeless, just as someone did with her.
That's the beauty of Mindy as well as the other women in the shop. They're accepting without being judgemental and that allows God to love others through them. There is no hidden agenda with them; they just know, from their own experience, the pain of being in darkness. But they also know of the redemptive power of a loving God who reached down himself and pulled them back into the light. And that's why I'm finding my way out of the dark...because these lovely ladies were kind enough to throw me a miner's cap and some rope to save me from my own loneliness and isolation. And with that, I'm open to trusting again, because I trust them.
God can redeem and restore someone without our help. It's just that he is a relational God and by working through us, we have relationship with him and fellowship with one another. That's how he rolls, I'm finding out.
Back to Mindy's debriefing at the shop. When she was done telling me about her incredible encounter with this girl, I apologized for being extremely late. Mindy looked at me and told me that it was totally ok because she prayed the whole time that no one would come in and disrupt their conversation. So, with my delay of 20 minutes, Mindy had almost two hours of uninterrupted time with this girl.
Hence all my obstacles keeping me from getting to work on time. God moved heaven and earth to prevent me from coming in any earlier because he knew that I would not be as therapeutic as his darling Mindy. I'm my own 'work-in-progress' and I seem to be struggling with cynacism. First, I would have had a hard time believing the girl's sob story, thinking that she was scamming us for money. Secondly, I would have chided her for not doing all she could to protect her children. I would have tried to "fix" her situation.
And that's why God kept me out of the equation. This beautiful child of his needed someone to listen to her.
She didn't need me trying to fix her; only God can do that. Through Mindy, God ministered to this girl, showing her a glimpse of hope and light, even if just for a short time.
The next time Mindy and I worked together, she told me that the day after meeting this girl, she had had this overwhelming feeling of being overwhelmed. She admitted that she didn't think she could help this girl. She had promised to research some things about faith for her and get back to her, perhaps meet with her again. Mindy was even hoping to invite her to church eventually. Now, Mindy was afraid that she bit off more than she could chew.
I laughed and reminded Mindy that she had PRAYED for this and that she was created for this kind of stuff. She didn't have to worry about the outcome; that's God's job. All she had to do was what she was already doing...being there for others, listening to them, letting them know that she doesn't have all the answers but she'll be there with them, praying them through.
And what Mindy prays for...Mindy gets.
What a soul stirring post.Thanks for sharing!
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