Saturdays are for getting things done. I always have a Saturday list. And I love to cross things off that list. It makes me feel like I am making progress. I don’t know about y’all; but, I feel like there is so much to do and so little time. Honestly—and with some embarrassment—I admit that I sometimes see people I know and pretend I don’t—just because I don’t want to lose my momentum. (Oh, no—there is that lady from down the street. She is going to talk my head off. Let me look super busy by checking my iPhone).
This past Saturday, my demanding scrap of Saturday-paper landed me at Michael’s. I planned to just run in and grab something for my latest home project. Shouldn’t take but a minute. Ha - you crafters know I was only fooling myself! I was almost to the register when I spied something on a shelf. Laden down with picture frames, spray paint, and decorative items, I struggled to fit yet one more item in my arms.
As I shifted items around, I heard a voice ask me if I needed any help. I looked over and saw a young man standing a few feet away, holding a vase in his hands. He asked me again if he could help me carry anything.
“Oh, no - I’m good. I am just about to head to the register. But, thank you!”, I said. I knew I needed to get going now.
“Are, are you having a blessed day?”
That stopped me in my tracks. I don’t know that I really had thought much about the kind of day I was having. But something pulled at me to let him know that it was a good day. “I certainly am. I hope you are”, I said with a smile.
And he smiled. The biggest, most joyful smile I have ever seen. And then he looked at me and told me that God loves me and that I am special.
Special. He wanted me to know that I AM SPECIAL IN GOD’S EYES. He wanted me to know I am loved. This young man, I realized, was likely labeled by the world as a special needs person. Yet, his spirit sang of such fulfillment that it washed over me so that I truly felt blessed. Not faux-blessed, like the feel-good terms we throw around so much: “have a blessed day” “bless your heart” ....
My Saturday blessing has a name. His name is James. And James just loves people. He wants to be a fireman so that he can help people. And he loves to go to church. He was so excited to go to church on Sunday. (I don’t know that I have ever felt that much excitement when my alarm goes off on a Sunday morning.) His face practically glowed as we talked about our churches and our love for God. He asked me my name and promised he would pray for me. And I promised to pray for him. And I have.
I can’t stop thinking about how many people James may have blessed this weekend—on any given day—just by being the love of God instead of talking about it. I am glad that I did not let my list get in the way of a blessing that I know was heaven-sent. I am glad that I allowed kindness and care to replace the usual hustle and bustle of my life. While I may have been worthy of his kindness, I may have missed on out James, unaware, in my own busy world.
Was James an angel, catching me unaware in Michael’s? It would be nice to think so. I think he is a very special young man, one who happens to be after God’s own heart. He just goes to the stores so he can tell people how much God loves them. But, like many a man, he confessed that he doesn’t really like to shop.
You may not meet an angel; but, you can be an angel for someone.
“And do not forget kindness to strangers, for by this, some who, while they were unaware, were worthy to receive Angels.” - Hebrews 13:2 (Aramaic Bible)
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