God's Messenger

As I stood at the back of the sanctuary after the worship service to greet people as they left, I felt the post-sermon let down begin to set in. I have described preaching a sermon as holding onto a live wire for fifteen minutes. When it is over, the energy drains away, and I find I must go home and nap before my normal energy level returns. Pat approached me last. She is a statuesque, beautiful woman, whom I met during my last job as a lawyer. She was one of the Ph.D. doctors who worked at the hospital.

Pat thanked me for the sermon and said she’d enjoyed the humor. I thanked her and expected her to move on, but she hesitated for a moment. Then she said, “I remember watching you give presentations when you worked at the hospital. You looked miserable. Now, when I see you preach, you radiate joy. I’ve thought about that when I’ve heard you preach here in the past, and I wanted to share it. You seem to have found the work God has for you to do.”

I thanked her, thought back to my time at the hospital and said, “I am happier now. Thank you for sharing that!”

With tears in her eyes, she said, “I’ve wanted to share that with you for some time and decided to do it today.”

The Spirit was indeed moving through the service. What a blessing to hear a word of encouragement from one of God’s messengers--confirmation that I have, at least for now, found the place God has prepared for me to serve.

Grace and Peace,

Donna