Pit Stop Pity and Prayer

By Brenda Black

I hesitated to pull into the gas station. No one was at the pump and it didn't look like this particular convenience store was frequented often. I wondered how clean or how safe it would be. But I was desperate. I needed a pit stop!

No one was at the counter and the place appeared empty. I hesitated just for a second and considered retreating back to the parking lot. Then a young woman peeked through a door frame from the far corner of the store, with a wadded towel compressed against her forehead. She dutifully welcomed me with a weary “Hello, Welcome to Casey's.” As I processed her appearance, I pressed my reason for entering and she pointed to a hallway that led to my destination.

When I returned to the main room, I was alone again, but headed to the refrigerator section to select a drink for the rest of my journey. Then, she emerged once more with said towel still pressed to said head. I asked, “Are you alright?” and she replied, “I have a terrible headache.” Though she was in pain, I was a bit relieved that she wasn't being held at gunpoint at the back of the store and had not been rapped on the noggin by some thug.

She briefly shared how often she suffers from migraines and I listened knowingly. Sometimes those awful things can be right down debilitating. I felt sorry that she had to plug on through the day in such discomfort. When I asked her name, she looked at me with wonder? I repeated my query and she answered, “Lisa.”

I called her by name and then told Lisa I was going to pray for her the entire stretch of the road through this town, at least three or four miles and that many stoplights would give me time to plead her case before the Lord. As I prayed, I began to cry, filled with empathy for a stranger I'd known for a mere minute. Not only did I beg for relief from her suffering, but I prayed that she would feel the fiery touch of God and would know it was a direct result of prayer. I asked God to soften her heart and if she knew Him, that this would bolster her faith; if she didn't, it would awaken her hunger!

I'll never know this side of heaven if Lisa's headache disappeared, but I prayed believing! And when I had poured out all of my petition and reached the edge of the city limits, I surmised that the reason for my need to pull off the main road was more about Lisa than about me.

The Apostle Paul instructed Titus in chapter 3, verse 14: “Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives.”

I could have been insensitive and diminished her trouble or demanded better service and expected her to buck up and do her job regardless. But I didn't. I had compassion on a total stranger who was doing her best to serve me under the worst of her own circumstances. Though I couldn't take her pain away, I could pray to the One who is able and I could practice patience and kindness.

How simple, how easy it was to do good and provide for Lisa's immediate need. And how thankful I am that I learned again so much of life is not about me. It's about being God's hands and feet and providing daily necessities in unexpected ways to those in need.

Give it Up

Give it Up

By Brenda Black

“The more you give, the more you get. The more you love, the less you fret. The more you do unselfishly, the more you live abundantly. The more of everything you share, the more you'll always have to spare. The more you love, the more you'll find that life is good and friends are kind. For only what we give away enriches us from day to day.” Great advice from David and Claudia Arp, first presented in an article in Marriage Partnership magazine. But their philosophy goes far beyond marital give and take. This generosity is universal in application and especially pertinent this time of year.

First things first: Think outside the money box and holiday mayhem. Giving is time and tenderness, understanding, friendship. Once we get beyond the stifling notion that benevolence only comes in the form of dollars and cents, we find at its core foundation that giving never has strings attached that undermine true charity. Whether you expect anything in return or not, the getting that follows giving is purely fringe benefits, all-the-more sweet when they come unexpectedly. Give whether you get or not and you will get better than you ever deserved.

“'Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap...'” (Luke 6:38)

Once the boundaries are blown open and generosity is no longer tied exclusively with monetary ribbons, you can begin to dole out bounty in some of the most interesting places. Perhaps in a crowded hallway, waiting for a meeting.

I was comfortable in my high-backed, plush chair passing the time while watching strangers mingle and meander their way past me. It felt good to relax. It felt even better when I gladly surrendered that comfy seat to one who would not only enjoy it, but needed it immediately. I saw him slowly approaching and wincing with each step. In a heartbeat I jumped to my far more stable feet and insisted that the older gentleman take my chair. He didn't hesitate and kindly acknowledged my gesture while he painfully lowered himself, gripping the tapered and polished arms for support.

He sighed a few times and gratefully thanked me over and over as he began to feel some relief. We visited of course since each of us was alone and neither had anywhere else to be at the moment. That chair was only the beginning of what we shared. As I leaned against a tall table hovering next to his welcome respite, I learned about his cattle and his career and heard about his service in WWII. More people began to gather in the wide passage and several worked their way straight to this man in the chair. I soon discovered I was in the presence of one quite well-known and regarded.

One after another old-timer stopped to reminisce with my new-found friend. I gave up a chair and I received a half-hour of conversation, a first-hand history lesson, and witnessed warm camaraderie. Yeah, I got back way more than I gave.

The theory has been tested time and again. This principle of generosity has no end. Giving gets. Loving never goes out of date. Unselfish acts result in abundant thanks. The more of everything you share, the more you want to do it again. “For only what we give away enriches us from day to day.”

“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:7-8)

It doesn't take much to give much.