It is early morning and I notice her again. She is in a hurry, ringing a doorbell, carefully placing a box on a porch, and then rushing to the next house. I don’t know her name, so I call her the “nice delivery lady” when I talk about her. On my daily prayer walks I watch her driving by, and then I wave and say a prayer for the “nice delivery lady.” I’m led to pray for her, not knowing what the needs might be, but confident there is something in her life that isn’t perfect, a small piece of brokenness that might weigh her heart down on certain days.
This week while I was walking, she ran back from delivering a package and stopped before getting in her van. “Hi! I see you walking and talking to yourself every day!” I laughed and replied, “Well, actually I am on my prayer walk, and praying. But I probably look like I’m having a long conversation with myself!” I told her I whispered a prayer for her every time I saw her truck. Her eyes filled with tears and she looked shocked. “Me? You pray for me?” I told her it made me happy to watch her wave to the security cameras on front porches and notice the spring in her step. I wanted her to know I appreciated her faithfulness and joy as she made those deliveries. “God sees it too!” I said. “Keep up the great work because people notice. What you do matters!” Her tears kept coming and she replied, “I think your prayers have kept me going these past few months. Please keep praying for me.” Her voice was sincere, and she added, “Oh, please keep praying.” She didn’t tell me her story, but she didn’t need to. There was a reason God prompted me to pray for my delivery friend, and I assured her the prayers would continue. She wiped her tears and waved. Her smile was back and off she went.
My favorite author, Ann Voskamp says, “Be the Gift.” We can be a gift to those who we may never meet, offering them the smallest bit of joy, taking the time to weep with them, or gently promising them they will be in our prayers. When we are the gift, we receive the gift. The greatest blessings in my life have come when I made the choice to serve others. Serving heals and brings hope to a weary soul, and there are many out there. Sometimes it’s just taking the time to slow down and notice. My encouragement for you today is to “Be the Gift” to someone. Amazing things happen from small acts, so pay attention to those moments when you feel God prompting you. Your act of service can change someone, and it might change you too!
“Be the Gift. It turns your brokenness into abundance!”