The Journey

Steve & Shirley

But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. John 4:23-24

The elderly woman lived alone. In that she was not different from hundreds of thousands of other little, old women and men, who live alone. Crippled, she had to rely, pretty much, on the assistance and aid of her neighbors. That, too, does not make her all that unique. What was special about this old woman is that she, even with her limited life, kept a daily diary.

Any person taking a look at her uneventful days would have wondered why bother. She didn’t have that much to write down. You and I might have thrown in the towel, but this lady didn’t. She faithfully kept her diary until the day came when she set her pencil down for the final time.

The police report said that she had been dead “for a while,” before someone had missed and gone looking for her. They said there was no evidence of foul play and that she had died of natural causes. They said her diary’s notations held nothing of interest for police or coroner.

No, the investigators found nothing of interest in her book but that doesn’t mean you won’t be curious to see what she wrote. Through the last weeks of her life, the lady had repeatedly written the same, three words: “Nobody came today.” When I heard that sad, sad story, I said to myself, “I hope if I had known this lady, I would have come to visit her.”

I hope that’s what I would have done.

The problem is I know that lady. She has been in every church I have served. And, yes, there were times when I was not there and could and should have been. There were times when I was so busy with the church’s stuff and my stuff that I forgot that I really did need to be there where that lady was. I am deeply sorry for all those I did not see when they were saying “Nobody came today.”

Dear Lord, it breaks my heart to know that I was not there and could have been there when someone in need said: “Nobody came today.” WOW, that hurts deeply because that is the person I have sought to be in your ministry. Forgive me for my failure and remind us all to take the time to be there today, in and through Jesus. Amen.

Grace and Peace

Steve

PS: It is 5:00pm and the 11:00am appointment today with TWC (that is the extension of the 11:00 appointment we had with TWC on July 3) has not arrived. Help me to pray for patience. BIG PATIENCE. I am surprised to have never heard the term “Cable Rage.” I am hoping that James Howell is preaching on patience tomorrow.

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