No Fear in the Night
It was a dark and stormy night, just the kind of night that makes me feel a little reserved and a tad insecure. On this night, as lightning flashed through the windows near me, I unplugged the power source to my computer and prepared to blog as long as the battery would sustain.
I was doing “research” on YouTube (or was I stalling?) when I heard the screen door creak open. Guess I forgot to anchor it as the landlord taught us, especially on windy nights. No, I’m not going to go check it. It’s dark out there. Never know what might hurt me. Better stay safely behind the locked door. Did I even lock it? I went back to YouTube. My “research” was again disturbed by loud banging at the front door. The rain was pouring down. I got up to look in the peep hole. Too dark. My husband was already asleep for the night. Should I wake him? The insistent pounding came a second time and I called out “Who’s there?” as my mom taught me years ago. No answer. Well, it could be my elderly, very hard-of-hearing neighbor who lives downstairs, my inner monologue continued. With a prayer for protection, I took the chance.
I opened the door and there she was, dripping and shaking from the arduous trek up the muddy hillside to our door. Finally I remembered to turn on the porch light as I helped her inside. Boy! Was I glad to see her and not the tall, cloaked figure of a madman ready to do me in as my imagination had expected.
Ethel reported that her phone line was out again, probably due to the storm. A week ago tonight she had experienced similar trouble. She was visibly shaken. Anything out of the ordinary makes her so nervous. I joked with her and held her hands till they stilled considerably. Yet I knew that only Jesus could give her true inner peace so I prayed inside as we made several phone calls to take care of her needs.
With her calls complete she was relieved yet concerned about not sleeping well throughout the night because of her nerves. I hugged her shoulders and told her I could help her with the calls but only Jesus could calm her enough to sleep. She agreed and said she had been saying her prayers when she got up and noticed the phones were out.
It’s not easy for Ethel to accept help but she’s learning. I reminded her that she had ridden along in the car just this afternoon so I wouldn’t have to take the kids out in the rain while I ran an errand. Oh, that was easy, she demured. So was what I did for her. We are learning so much from each other. I value her patience and kindness with me, my active household, my occasional prattling on about life, and my expressions of faith shared from a thankful heart. Her church has a different name than mine, but her heart and mine are knit by the Holy Spirit of our God.
Arms linked we made our way carefully, yet securely, back down to her house. After getting her settled I hugged her and right there next to her ear, I prayed to Jesus for her good night’s rest. She prayed next and then thanked me again for helping her. As I skipped (sort of!) back up the hill to my wide open doorway, it was still a dark and stormy night. The biggest difference was that I was no longer afraid! God used me to serve another tonight. There is nothing to fear when serving Him! Only joy, peace, and Light from the throne of our personal, loving, and all-powerful God.
My computer was nearly dead when I returned to my seat. With the lightning passed, I plugged back in, ignored YouTube, and began to write this blog.
Maybe you would like to share some of your service experiences, your fears or difficulties in doing what God asked you to do, and how He helped you through. You may do so by submitting a comment below.
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