Jesus stopped.
Those two words struck me.
On His way,
Jesus stopped and
asked a blind man,
"What do you want me to do for you?"
(Luke 18:41).
Our pastor encouraged us to
Stop.
Don't rush from here to there and miss
our purpose in being where we are now.
Stop.
Ask a stranger,
"Is there anything I can do for you?" or
"Is there anything I can pray for you?"
I stopped.
to meet the couple sitting next to me.
I stopped
and asked,
"Can I pray for you?"
Unanimous, they replied,
"Yes. Please.
Please pray God gives us a baby."
What an honor to pray that precious prayer for
God's great gift of children.
The three of us were blessed that
I stopped and
cared and
prayed.
Later that day
I stopped at a
Community Musical performance
and asked
a sweet young lady
if she liked music.
I told her about Evelyn
who loved ringing her jingle bell.
My new friend
Amy and I
talked quite a while.
She,
like Evelyn,
has Down Syndrome.
We brought cheer to each of our hearts because
I stopped.
Amy told me of her mother
who played the drums in the band and
leads a musical group of
special people like Amy and like Evelyn.
Amy was happy
her mother
stopped
her own life
to care for others.
Sherri and Rick Snavely
stopped
on their way home from church.
The night before,
Dan and I attended an Aaron Schust dinner concert at
Family Life Ministries.
There were hundreds of people there for dinner and a concert.
When I returned home,
I realized one of my hearing aids was gone.
Oh no!
$6,000 aids gone.
Just on a whim, and a little desperate,
I posted the loss on facebook.
What are the chances
anyone would see my post or
have the hearing aid?
Not likely.
Sherri glanced at facebook.
She and Rick stopped at FLM and
combed the large floor
before it would be swept on Monday morning.
Sherri found my lost hearing aid.
Sherri and Rick call it a miracle!
Miracles are what happen when
we stop.
My hearing aid still works!
Another miracle!
No person or
chair or
garlic mashed potato
stepped on it along the way.
What servant hearts!
Those Snavely's!
What a beautiful act of servant leadership.
I thank God
you stopped.
And you stopped.
Thousands of you stopped last week and
prayed for my grandgirl
Evie recovering from heart surgery. Being resuscitated twice in the last six months, and
the doctor telling us if her heart stops again,
her chances of survival
are not good,
the gravity of her heart condition was real.
But you stopped and
you prayed and
you shared with your churches and
they stopped and prayed and
they shared with their social network and
more stopped and prayed.
The Holy Spirit orchestrated
a movement of prayer
around the globe and
people stopped and
people prayed.
I wish you could see the messages I received.
"I don't even know who Evie is,
but she has touched my heart and
I am praying for her."
"I hope I meet Evie someday because
she has changed my life.
Her courage and strength
give me courage and strength."
I heard from people all over the world.
I don't even know how they learned of Evie.
Thank you for stopping and praying.
God answered in miraculous ways.
Evie is recovering and
the twinkle is back in her blueberry eyes as
she plays with her jingle bell.
Next week we hope all the tubes will be removed and
we'll see her sweet smile.
What a glorious day of praise that will be.
We live in a world that hurts.
Smiling faces masquerade the pain deep in one's heart.
Let's make an effort to
stop and
ask as Jesus did to the blind man,
"What do you want me to do for you?" (Luke 18:41).
Each one
stopping for
each one.
What a blessed way to live — just like Jesus.
May your day be filled with splashes of serenity!
