She sat in the back of the auditorium, arms folded, mumbling under her breath and a few curse words flying my direction. This young high school student did not want to be there, it was obvious. Her pain and anger were palpable. 
She caught my eye immediately. My heart was drawn to pray for her, and I whispered a prayer under my breath…..”Jesus please help her”.
I love speaking to High School students and this day a few years ago was a special fund raising day at this school. The students had chosen “Joy in the Cause” as their charity, and were involved from beginning to end. They would sponsor a care package with a stuffed Mavis dog. The students would even dress their dog in an outfit they created. They would then deliver their care package to a child who was in need. It was fun to see the different reactions from the students as they worked on care packages and took ownership in what they were creating. The girl in the back wanted nothing to do with any of it, but I saw her talking to her school mate and reluctantly participating. Again, I whispered a short prayer “Jesus help her.”
A few months later I returned to the school to receive a report on how things went. Faster than I could walk in the room I was greeted by a beautiful young lady who ran over and hugged me. (When hugs were possible before Covid!) Was this? 
Could it be? No way! It was the young girl who sat in the corner with those arm folded and curse words flying. She didn’t even seem like the same girl! I was simply amazed and wanted to hear her story!
“Miss Lisa, the day you came to talk to our school, I had planned my suicide. You messed up my plan. I participated in the fundraiser as a dare from one of my friends who said she knew I would not do it and wanted to see how my Mavis Dog turned out. She thought it would be funny. I sponsored a care package, I dressed my Mavis dog and created a card for the care package. It was time for delivery. Miss Lisa, I opened the door and a little boy, so helpless and so pale sat there in his bed. He looked so sad, and I could tell he had been crying. His battle with cancer had made him so weak. When he saw me walk in, and saw I had a gift for him, his eyes brightened, his arms stretched out, and he reached out for me smiling ear to ear.”
He grabbed that care package and found the Mavis dog and hugged it as tight as he could. But then Miss Lisa, he 
reached to hug me. He wanted to hug ME! That hug changed my life. I made a difference that day Miss Lisa. I made someone hurting, feel some hope. And it made ME feel hope for the very first time since I could remember. I left that room crying, and I was not the same person I was when I went in.”
As she finished up her story, tears were rolling down my face. “Jesus help her!” I remember whispering that simple prayer. Little did I know He would answer my prayer, through her giving. Serving. Helping. It all began with the serve. Why was I surprised? It may have only been 3 words, but God heard. She served, she stepped out of her comfort zone, she was met with a huge miracle. HOPE! Sometimes hope can be our miracle, and sometimes that hope can even lead to finding greater things, like our purpose! This young girl decided she wanted to go into medical school that day. That 5 minutes of hope, changed her life.
Do you feel insignificant? Have you given up and feel like you have nothing left to give? Remember this story. 5 minutes of joy, that’s all it took.
Are you battling with anxiety and depression, and feel like you can’t make it another day? Remember this story. It just took one step. As Martin Luther King quoted: You don’t have to see the entire staircase, just take that first step…by faith. God will take it from there.
Do you feel like your prayers hit the wall? It may be just 3 words, it may be your hearts cry. God hears you. Sometimes those heart cries speak louder than an eloquently worded prayer.
He’s there, He hears you.
Serve, step out, see miracles. It just takes the first step. He’ll take it from there.