Psalms 143:10 (TPT) I just want to obey all you ask of me. So teach me, Lord, for you are my God. Your
gracious Spirit is all I need, so lead me on good paths that are pleasing to you, my one and only God!
Three months into the 2020 shutdown, I was driving to our city’s downtown area to go for an early
evening walk. The day was still blazing hot, and I was in an area of the city that is not the safest. I looked
across the street and, on the sidewalk, I see a lady walking and carrying several full, large bags. Not how
one would expect. Her left foot was completely turned over to the side, and she was walking on her
ankle. It is difficult to describe and looked to be extremely painful, certainly unnatural. Holy Spirit
whispered:” turn around; go pick her up.” My first inclination was to think of all the reasons this was a
terrible idea. I thought of how my husband would not approve and that I did not have my gun in the car
for protection. Yes, I thought these things and more!
There are only two times that I can recall Holy Spirit speaking the word disobedient to me and this was
one of them. “Will you be disobedient? Turn around; go pick her up.” Here we go. I am now driving into
a complete u-turn in the middle of a four-lane city street. I catch up to the lady and the first parking lot I
can drive to get ahead of her is a …. Church. But God. Of course, it is.
As I catch her walking towards me, I ask her if I can offer her a ride and she immediately responds with a
yes. She never even looked up at me to verify I was not yielding a weapon or appeared as a serial killer!
But God. I help her gather her bags into the back seat and before we are on our way, I ask her if we can
exchange first names and she looks over at me with the most beautiful, piercing blue eyes and says “my
name is Tracy” to which I responded “well hello, I am Tracy too”. I am in awe. But God.
My Holy Spirit intersection with Tracy led to several rides and chats over the next year or more. My
husband met her, and we would sometimes pick her up on our way home from church. We would find
ourselves intentionally driving this route just in case Tracy needed a ride. One day, we did not see Tracy
anymore and when I became concerned, I drove to her old to find that she had moved. I suppose our
season passed. I pray she is well, looked after, and healed. I put a BOLO �� out to some friends who
serve in different areas just in case they see Tracy.
Listening, obeying, and serving… I complicate it in my flesh when God really does make it simple. It is an
effortless way to obey and honor His Word. He does not require much. His word commands to love Him
with all our heart, all our soul and all our mind (Matthew 22:37); to love one another as He loved us and
me (John 13:34-35; John 15:12) and He gives us a simple guide of how to be more Christ-like through
serving others (John 13- He washed the disciples feet!; Romans 15:1-2; 1 Peter 4:10).
It hardly seems fair to me that He blesses me through simple acts of service, but He does it all the same.
It is a testament to the unbounding love He has for His children, even the most unlikely and undeserving
as me.
And I think about what He already did for me, on the cross and if I had been the only one, He would
have walked Calvary all the same. And then He clothes me, shelters me, protects, heals, and provides for
all my needs… yet through an oh so simple act of obedience He blesses me. Underserving does not begin
to describe what I offer to Him, day by day, yet He blesses my obedience in ways that leave me in awe.
He does it for you too. He will and He has. It really is simple but in my humanness and flesh, I want to
complicate it by wondering what and how. How will I look? How will this work out? Why this person or
that act of service? I love that God does not give me time to really think and consider especially when it
is a radical act of obedience when serving. He knows me in my humanness. He knows us.
God may have led me to serve Tracy but really, I was/am the one He blessed through my time with her.
See, I was told by doctors about ten years ago, due to past injuries as a teen, that I would need a new
ankle in five years or less BUT GOD has gifted me with the ability to still walk on this original ankle He
created for me. God gifted me with gratitude that I can still use my ankle. I may not run but I walk as
much as I want and jog on occasion. He reminded me of my gift of walking through that first sight of
Tracy in 2020. My prayer for you today friend, is that you run to those moments of service when Holy
Spirit prompts and as a result, experience the unexpected gifts and blessings through service … gifts you
could never expect or imagine for yourself. I cannot wait to hear how He displays His goodness to you in
those moments. He is always there, ready, listening, speaking.
Standing in the Son.