"Do not forget or neglect or refuse to extend hospitality to a

stranger (in the brotherhood-being friendly, cordial, and

gracious, sharing the comforts of your home and doing your

part generously), for through it some have entertained

angels without knowing it. " Heb. 13:2 (Amplified)Recently while my husband was in the hospital

recooperating from an infection, I rounded the corner and

met up with an elderly woman walking with the aid of a

walker. I noticed she was very nicely dressed, her hair was

neatly styled and the light application of makeup indicated

that she was a proud woman. Her matching earrings and

necklace made me feel very plain. As she focused on me,

her eyes lit up and a big smile came across her face. I

smiled back and expected to continue on my way. I was

wrong. At first she commented on my friendly smile and then went

on to say how rare that is now a days. I had to agree with her

because even Christians tend to walk around looking like

they were baptized in lemon juice. Everyone tends to have a

"don't bother me" attitude, even though this is not what

Christ taught. I try very hard in my Christian walk to do what

the good book tells us to. After all, Christ tells us to love one

another as we would love ourselves. I suppose this is hard

in today's world, since alot of people don't actually like

themselves. But that's another story for another time. I stopped and gave this woman my full attention. I was

enticed with her good humor. We usually don't give elderly

people the time because we think they are senile and

unpleasant. But not so with this dear lady. She spoke with a

tint of a Southern accent. She began to tell me about herself.

She had been an entertainer and even yodled! How many

people do you know that can do that?One thing I've learned, is to appreciate older people for their

experiences. If you just let them, they just might teach you

something. She told me she volunteered in nursing homes

and hospitals. She commented on how sad it was that often

times she was all they had. She was a people lover. She found laughter to be the best

medicine. This was obvious. She called herself a fruit cake.

She even recited some poems that she had written. I

couldn't help but be impressed, because I can't remember

more than a couple words if that. She wrote these poems to

entertain young children and make them laugh. She had

genuine joy. "Without having seen Him, you love Him; though you do not

(even) now see Him; you believe in Him and exult and thrill

with enexpressible and glorious (triumph, heavenly) joy. "

1 Pt. 1:8 (Amplified)She continued to take control of the conversation. It's unlike

me not to talk, but I somehow felt comfortable just listening.

She did finally admit that her hearing aid wasn't working and

she couldn't hear me anyway. This might have aggravated

me at one time, but now it was fine. She had alot to say and

it was worth listening to. There was some 30 years between us but I had to agree

with all that she said. One thing about Christians is the

generation gap closes up. It's no longer about age

differences because no matter what age your body is, your

heart and spirits are in agreement. It's no longer about you,

it's about the other person. We began walking along together and she just kept talking,

but everything she said had alot of depth to it. I really did

enjoy just listening for a change instead of manipulating the

converstation. She kept aplogizing for holding me back. But

at that time I felt that it was my place to be with her. Almost

as if I were entertaining an angel unawares. She told me she was waiting for a shuttle bus because the

people she had come to see did not work on Saturday. Not

having anything pressing to do, I motioned for her to sit in

the lobby and wait. I sat down beside her. Her conversation continued with some more insightful

things. She said if you have just one true friend in the world

you were truly blessed. She remarked about how many

friends we have when things are going good in our lives.

People don't want to be bogged down with someone else's

problems. But when the bottom falls out, these so called

friends are never heard from again. She refered to them as

"Sunshine Friends". How clever I thought, they are there

when the sun shines and head for the hills when the sun

has set. I hope I never forget that. In all her wisdom, she remarked how so many people are

unhappy. She concluded because they are afraid to be

themselves. I call it peer pressure and fear pressure, again

another story in itself. But it's true. People want to re-invent

themselves to gain approval from people they don't even

like. Her question to them was this, "Would they walk the

last mile with you?" We all know the answer to that one. Beides it being the "Me First " generation, she also

commented on people who wear themselves out from

worry. I had to agree with that because our Lord tells us it's

futile, you won't gain anything by it. "Therefore I tell you, stop being anxious and worried about

your life, what you shall eat, what you shall drink, or about

your body, what you shall put on. Is not life greater (in

quantity) than food, and the body (far above and more

excellent) than clothing?" Mt. 6:25 (Amplified)In the next few verses Jesus also tells us that worrying won't

gain anything. Giving ALL our cares to God will lighten our

load. This reminds me of something else I recently heard. When

your knees are shaking, get down on the floor and they will

stop. How true, prayer is the answer for shakey knees!!!After sitting with this dear woman for over an hour, I had a

peaceful feeling to know that this was my "divine

appointment " for the day. By running into eachother I

realized it was no accident, this is how God moves in our

lives. We may not always recognize it or see it, but God

knows what He's doing. Perhaps I was meant to just sit there and be with her as she

reminisced or perhaps she had something I needed to hear

for that day. What ever reason, I was glad God chose me to

keep her company and help her get on the shuttle bus. We

hugged eachother as if we'd been friends forever, it felt like

we were. I walked away feeling like I'd been touched by an

angel. Her name was Flo, and that's all I know. Vivian Gordon an inspired writer of God's word to give

inspiration to those who have been hurt and need to know

that God loves them.

Author:
Vivian Gordon