Unashamed Action

Based on true accounts.

Don Evans turned to his wife. “We need to stop here,” he said.

His wife looked at him in confusion. “What for?” she questioned. They didn’t stop at the café often, and they had just eaten. She could think of no reason for stopping.

“I don’t know,” Don replied honestly, “but God wants me to stop.”

Together, they entered the little café. A few other customers were there, just getting up from their table to leave. Awkwardly, Don shuffled his dusty work boots and waited for them to leave. Finally, the last tinkle of the bell on the door died away and he approached the owner of the café.

“Excuse me, ma’am,” Don said politely. “I know this is going to sound a little weird, but would it be OK if I had a prayer with you?”

Arlene Lewis paused in the midst of wiping the newly vacated table. She surveyed the man before her—a scraggly beard, faded blue jeans, a sun-browned face. “Sure,” she replied. “That would be fine.”

And so Don placed a hand on her shoulder and bowed his head. His wife bowed, too. Maybe the words were a little awkward—he didn’t know what to pray, exactly—but the sincerity was real. He asked God to bless the business and bless the people who ran it. He prayed that they could experience joy. And he thanked God for the day they had been given. That was all.

“Amen,” Don said.

Arlene looked up, tears glistening in her eyes. “Did you know?” she asked.

“Know what?” Don responded, confused.

And then Arlene told him. A dear family member had just passed away. She was feeling burdened, confused, in darkness. She had begun to wonder if God even cared.

And then, out of nowhere, a man she barely knew had stopped and prayed for her.

Don listened in amazement. He hadn’t known anything about the death. “God just told me to stop,” he replied, “and so I did.”

What a beautiful example for each of us. So many times we feel the Spirit prompting us to action, but we fail to act because of fear—fear of awkwardness, fear of what people will think, fear of not knowing what we will say, fear of the type of reception we may receive.

Another day, another faithful follower.

Sarah was leaving the Family Dollar when she saw a woman in a car near her own parking space. The car was of an ancient model with rust spots on the roof and hood. It was easy to see the woman was crying.

“Talk to her,” a voice whispered in Sarah’s heart. Sarah hesitated. What would she say? Would she want some random stranger to come try to talk to her if she was crying?

Sarah stowed her purchases in her own vehicle and slid into the driver’s seat. Curiously, she glanced again at the woman in the other car. Her forehead was leaned against the steering wheel and tears were streaming down her face. I don’t really want to get involved, Sarah thought. But the voice came again. “Talk to her.”

Hesitantly, Sarah got back out of her car and crossed the parking spots between the two cars. Gently, she knocked on the window of the rusty auto.

The woman inside, startled, lifted her head. Seeing Sarah, she rolled down her window. “Can I help you with something?” Sarah asked, a little uncertainly.

The woman tried to wipe her tears, smearing her already smudged eyeliner even further. “I… don’t know.” she said haltingly.

“Would you like to talk?” asked Sarah.

It turned out the woman did. A sordid story of disappointment, pain, betrayal, and fear tumbled out in a sudden rush. Sarah tried to absorb it all. Her heart ached for this woman and what she was going through, but she knew the problem was beyond her. There was only one thing Sarah could think of to offer. “Would it be OK if I prayed with you?” she asked.

Together, the two women, strangers, bowed their heads in a Family Dollar parking lot and called upon the God who had created them both. When they parted ways, the woman knew her problems were not fixed, but she knew God had seen her distress and sent someone to care.

Sarah left the parking lot in awe at how God had used her.

But to be used we must be willing. We must trust God so implicitly that we are willing to face our fears of being awkward. We have to face the fears of what other people will think and how they will react. We need to stand up, unashamed of the One we have chosen to serve—not only in word, but in Spirit, in truth, and in action.

In Jeremiah 1:9, we read God’s words to the prophet: Then the Lord put out his hand and touched m mouth. And the Lord said to me, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.” Psalm 32:8 promises: I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. In Exodus 4 we read God’s promise to Moses to teach him what to speak.

In today’s world there are many souls crying, both those who know the Lord and those who do not. Are we willing to believe God’s promise to give us direction when we need it? Or will we hesitate to show compassion, giving in to the fears that so easily overwhelm the quiet voice that prompts us to action?

It’s not easy to trust that much. It’s not easy to squelch our human tendencies. It’s sometimes not even that easy to believe God would ask me to do a job for him—not I, who stumbles and falls and blunders along.

But in today’s world where there is a lack of true human interaction, where people get much of their social life from online forums, I believe one of the greatest witnesses of the love of God is the believer who is willing to reach out in flesh and blood compassion. Whether that care for others shows itself by answering a call to a mission field, praying with someone in a busy airport, or just squeezing the hand of the sister who has tears in her eyes next to you as you sing the closing hymn in Church.

Do not be fearful. Perfect love, as we know, casteth out fear. And it might take practice, (Trust me, I’m trying to practice myself—it hasn’t been exactly easy.) but it is worth it. And the blessing you receive in exchange for humble, heartfelt compassion? Well, it far exceeds the pain of gathering one’s courage and taking the plunge into awkward and unfamiliar places.

Because, when we reach out a hand to someone who is hurting, it is not our hand that is being extended, but the hand of God. His love working through us, our gratitude sharing His gift, and our own lives and burdens lightened by sharing the Light. 

May you each be blessed by being used of God!