I started crocheting homeless mats while I’m waiting for assignments to start, again. I’d like to be able to donate another 22 mats to Church on the Street again this year, for Christmas. With help from my friends I’m confident we’ll be able to.
Today, as I was waiting for my first job to start, my client’s husband noticed what I was working on. He asked me why I would make a mat for anyone who was homeless.
I told him about my son and his mental illness, then told him God calls us to love him and to love others. This is how I love.
“So what are you? Are you Jewish? Catholic?”, he asks.
“Oh no, I’m just a Christian.”
He gave me a look.
With ASL, looks are apart of the language but I couldn’t read what his look meant. He tapped on his wife’s shoulder and told her, “She’s a Christian.”
“Oh”, is all she said.
He looked back at me, “I’m just curious…”
I started to panic. What was about to happen? Am I going to hear how stupid I am? Or have to explain why God allows such evil things in the world? Or have to listen to him rattle off a bunch of untruths about who he think God is and not really be able to say anything about it because, well, I’m working and this could really make things awkward.
“Why would you sacrifice your life and the things you want to do, to do the things God wants you to do, instead?”
Well, didn’t see that coming.
Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. – 1 Peter 3:15
This was it. This was my moment.
Will I be faithful? Will I be obedient? Will I have an answer that makes sense?
I’m debating if I want to tell you what I said.
The only reason is because we are all told that we need to be able to explain why we do, what we do.
This isn’t a cookie cutter answer. It’s from your heart.
Do YOU sacrifice your will, for the will of God’s? Do YOU know why?
Is it your choice, or are you doing it because you are told to by a parent or a spouse? Your answer should be personal. It should be real.
I gave my answer, and waited to see how it would stick.
Would he have more questions? Would he tell me I’m an idiot? Was he only making small talk, or did he really care?
Almost immediately, his wife was called to a window. I got up to follow her.
Once we returned to our seats, he told me,
“While you were gone, I prayed for. What you are doing is really great. God bless you.”
Now around Christians, you may hear “God bless you”, a thousand times, but coming from this one man, it really meant something to me. I felt like he really meant it.
And you know what? He does!
God blesses me.
He sacrificed his son’s life for me.
There was a time when I was a broken single mom of four. I had nothing, and I felt like nothing. But through the works of God’s people, he picked me up and made me new.
He gave me life.
A blessed life.
That is why.
That is why I do what I do.
Growing Faith 