by accident...on purpose....

last week, i returned from vacation to an empty refrigerator and a growling belly. when i woke up on Wednesday (still quite fatigued), i decided to pull myself together and make a Target run. after returning home, i began unpacking my bags and noticed something in the bottom of one of the bags--it turned out to be a paper sleeve that contained a woman's driver's license, credit card, and ATM card. i was perplexed, not knowing how it had ended up in my bag, but i immediately posted a message on my Sorority listserv thinking that, out of 3000+ ppl, somebody in Chicago HAD to know this person. after getting no response, i tried Facebook. Lo and behold, she had a page, so I sent her a friend request with a short message saying that i had found her items and wanted to return to her. i hoped & prayed that she'd get the message and reach out.

she got the message that evening and sent me a message--she was beyond elated! she had torn up her house looking for her items, panicked and disheveled, and couldn't figure out where she might have lost them. she generally checked her email once a day and had already checked it for that day, but something told her (she believes that it was the nudging of the HS) to check her email again, and that is where my message was. when she wrote me, she was so happy & relieved and spoke many blessings/favor over my life for my act of kindness. i thanked her and was humbled by the kind words she spoke. i told her that i just wanted to do the right thing and return the items to the rightful owner, and that i was glad that they ended up in my hands and not that of a thief.

busy holiday weekends on both our ends precluded us from meeting until today, but when we finally did, i was very glad. ppl tease me about being a 'friendster,' but i thoroughly enjoy connecting with ppl--hearing their stories, their hopes/dreams, triumphs/challenges and how God has worked in their life. there was soooo much more to the story than what she had initially shared when we spoke via FB and phone, and i was inspired by what she shared with me about her testimony & her faith. she encouraged me and i, in turn encouraged her.

it reminded me of a story that my friend/fellow blogger told me. she encountered a woman who had fallen in the street in the hustle-and-bustle of downtown Chicago. as this woman lay in pain awaiting an ambulance, my friend stayed with her and comforted her while crowds just passed her by. she ended up running into this lady a few months later and the woman cried and cried, blessing God for my friend's act of kindness when everyone else just ignored her moment of distress.

i am one of those ppl who believes that nothing..NOTHING..happens by accident. our lives are a series of events & encounters--that challenge us, strengthen our character & resolve, and most of all, give us the opportunity to show love & compassion for others. we are faced daily with situations--big & small--that we can choose to either ignore or confront, never knowing how big an impact that just simply CARING can have on another person's life.

yesterday, my church service ended with the choir singing one of my favorite songs 'Available to You.' As tear streamed down my face, i thought back on the significant and seemingly insignificant ways that God has used me...and that God has used others in my life. my pastor's sentiment yesterday was simple--God can use ANYBODY! every single one of His disciples had an "issue' that the world would say "disqualified" them from service, yet He used them mightily.

maybe He won't use you to preach in foreign lands or write lots of books and gain critical acclaim.

but, perhaps He'll use to return someone's possessions that they've lost...or to comfort someone who is injured or hurting.

maybe it'll be by a kind word, a hug, or a phone call at just the right time.

however He chooses to use you, make yourself available. the possibilities are endless.

--check out the YouTube link below...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4i7z3ga0Fdo