Stopping for the one

When praying about what our focus and vision should be for our time in Mexico, Cody and I both sensed God impressing on us the parable of the Good Samaritan. God also kept speaking to us the importance of stopping for the one.

Until today, we never knew how hard that could actually be.

Driving back from Asheville in a thunderstorm, we saw a lady walking on the side of the road. A few seconds later, Cody pulled over. Simultaneously, God had spoken to us at the same time to offer this lady a ride.

So I said to Cody, "did God just speak to you about stopping for the one?" And he said, "yes."
Yeah, me too.

So we waited for the lady to get closer to our car and as Cody looked in the rear view mirror he commented that she looked scary. Well, fear had already set in and in my head I was trying to reason my way out of it. But I knew I couldn't. God had spoken. And He spoke again saying, "stopping for the one is not always going to be easy!"

As she walked up to the car, Cody asked if she wanted a ride. She said something like, "well, what on earth would give you that idea?"

I guess that means yes :)

As she climbed into the back seat, we both noticed that her face had been burned and she had lost a lot of hair. But underneath those burns, there was a heart that was desperately hurting.

Her name was Denise and she told us that she was from Colorado. She told us she has no home and no family. When I asked her what brought her to North Carolina, she said "stupid people that I used to care about."

I didn't press the issue, just silently prayed for her as we drove to drop her off at the local Mexican restaurant. Excellent choice, Denise! :)

As she got out of the car, we said goodbye and blessed her. She was thankful for the ride and we were thankful for the opportunity to be used by God.

Stopping for Denise was the first test of our commitment to God to always stop for the one.

If you're reading this, please say a little prayer for Denise. Ask God to give her hope and a home.