Wednesday, September 8, 2010

The old woman...

I was at a religious building for my church. The gates were closed, so only pedestrians, not vehicles, were allowed. At first, I thought I was the only one there. As I began to circle the beautiful white building and enjoy the flowers and landscape that surrounded it, however, I saw an old woman coming towards me in a wheelchair. We passed each other and exchanged a few words as she continued on her way and I on mine.

I was thinking deeply about things in my life, and found a bench to sit on to contemplate them more fully. I thought about patience, and the things that I seemed to have been waiting for forever and how they still had not come to fruition. I was in tears within a short period of time, and suddenly the old woman showed up again, having gone all the way around the building and back to where I was. I did not have time to hide, so just greeted her with red eyes, and again we exchanged a few words. She asked me if I'd been inside the building and I said I had. She said she had not, but she needed to prepare and go.

I'm not sure exactly what happened, but as she wheeled away, I was a different person. I realized that, although I sought God's will, I was bemoaning my state and focusing on things I did not have instead of being grateful for what I have and what I continue to be blessed with. I recommitted to service and to gratitude, and in so doing, received many of the answers I was looking for. Since that moment, many things have changed in my life.

This was not my SayGoBeDo, but whether or not she realized it, God placed that old woman there at the right time to pull me out of myself and back to Him. How grateful I am to Him!