Lovingkindness

Brenda, a thirty six year woman with blond hair and beautiful blue eyes, comes down the motel stairs greeting me with a tentative hug and appearing as if she’s been through hell. She’s gaunt, pale, and has dark, sunken skin surrounding her icy blue eyes. Brenda is a dancer and has been strung out everyday for the past two months (as far as she can remember). We are heading to get some dinner on the eve of her entrance into a rehab program for drugs and alcohol. My partner, Carole, has been helping Brenda for the past couple of days to get set up with the help she needs, and tonight I had the privilege to keep her company on her last night before entering treatment.

We get in the car and head to the nearby Chili’s and immediately she begins to unravel her journey over the past several years and about the realities of what goes on in many strip clubs (a lot more then stripping). Brenda is starving, because, over the last few days she hasn’t been able to keep much down with quitting multiple substances cold turkey. Brenda is a determined woman and she knows that she won’t be alive much longer if she doesn’t turn things around. She is so nervous and anxious about the future, and yet she knows she is ready to get healthy. We talk, but I mostly get the privilege to just listen as she shares some horrible, deeply wounding memories and experiences.

We leave and go back to her motel room and look over her list of things she needs to bring with her to rehab in the morning. I quickly make a list of the things she is still missing and as we get to the bottom of her list, she reads aloud, “books. Well, I don’t want to read while I’m there. But…I DO wish I had a bible.” Before I left the house tonight I had this “knowing” that I needed to bring an extra Bible, so I grabbed one off of my bookshelf and took it with me along with my own. I wrote in the cover, To: Brenda From: Those who Love YOU! On the Occasion of: The first day of your NEW life! Date: 1-26-10. This day is all about the Grace of God in Brenda’s life. The protection and provision that God has on her life through the connections of those around her; the opportunity to experience the deep and endless, reckless love of Jesus Christ! Psalm 107 has been my meditation for the past several days and it so beautiful in the context of seeing God’s LOVINGKINDNESS poured out to Brenda- HIS daughter through the blood poured out for her by His Son.

Ps. 107: v.10 “…There were those who dwelt in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in misery and in chains, because they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the Counsel of the Most High. Therefore, He humbled their heart with labor. They stumbled and there was none to help. They cried out to the Lord in their trouble; He saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke their bands apart. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness, and for His wonders to the sons of men! For He has shattered gates of bronze, and cut bars of iron asunder. Fools, because of their rebellious way, and because of their iniquities, were afflicted, their soul abhorred all kinds of food; and they drew near the gates of death. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; He saved them out of their distresses. He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness, and for His wonders to the sons of men!

Armed with my list and my credit card (thank you God for credit!) I ran to Wal-Mart. I found all my items and hurried to the check out. While checking out, I ran into an old friend. As we were catching up, I was able to tell him about our ministry to girls in the sex industry, and even what was transpiring that very instant! The cashier, Andrea, overheard us and began to tell us of her troubled son, Roger, who has been in and out of rehabs and even jail. We were able to listen and encourage and let her know we would continue praying for her son. I also got to share about what we are up to with our “Simple Church” and share about our desire to be disciples who make disciples and how we strive to meet together in a way that naturally draws us to one another and to God. I was able to invite Him and his children to join us whenever they like! He proceeded to tell me about the complexities of a job loss and the stress of some things within his home. We prayed right there in the parking lot and encouraged one another as we went our separate ways. It took a few extra minutes to stop, share, and bring our supplications to Lord, but this is what being God’s people is all about!

Tonight was a testimony to the lovingkindness of the God who showed us the ultimate lovingkindness through Jesus Christ. God has shown me tonight that He is alive and active and we had better be watchful and ask for spiritual eyes to see what God sees, because He is at work planting, cultivating, and restoring those He calls His children.

“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting.”