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| Photo courtesy of pentaxforums.com |
"People don't care what you know,
until they know that you care."
--Terry Moore, Sunday School teacher
Just a few weeks ago, the kids and I went to a local park to meet up with some classmates of Turbo's for a play date. Since we were the first ones to arrive, I sent the kids out to the play equipment and found a shady spot on a park bench to wait for the other moms to show up. Well, five minutes quickly turned into twenty, and I soon realized that no one was going to show. Fortunately, the kids had each other and soon made other friends at the park so it was not all for naught (and I would later learn that car troubles and a missed voicemail message would explain everyone's absence).
However, after enjoying some quiet moments of solitude and the cool fall breeze, a local area grandmother soon joined me on the bench, a bit frazzled from chasing after her 4-year-old granddaughter. After passing along pleasantries about the weather and such, she began to tell me all about her granddaughter and the child's mother. This was the first child of three, all born from different fathers who seem to have left the mother's life. The mother was currently at the courthouse with Daddy #3, trying to get custody of that child. The grandmother went on to tell me more details about a very saddening and difficult social situation at home. She was lamenting the fact that whenever she took care of her granddaughter after she had spent time with her mother, she was very difficult to control and acted out. Needless to say, she was exhausted.
Well, I am never sure what to do or say in circumstances such as this one. Introverted by nature, it can be draining to talk at length with close friends and family, let alone total strangers. Also, I feel like I am sooooo not gifted in the area of evangelism--I mean, what do you say to someone who needs the love of Christ?
But this day, I did something that I rarely ever do. Figuring these women (as several others were within earshot) would never see me again, I decided to actually say something. Breathing in and lifting up a quick prayer for help to the Lord, this is what I said...
"Well, it sounds to me like your daughter needs Jesus.
I mean, I'd be a total train-wreck if it wasn't for Christ."
That was it. No deep theological discussions. No cross-referencing of Scripture passages. Just one simple statement about MY life.
And you know what happened next? Instead of having to endure an awkward silence or watching her recoil in disgust or turn away, I noticed that the grandmother actually leaned into me. She started telling me that she does try to read a children's Bible to her granddaughter at times. She wears a cross necklace, which she lifted out of her shirt to show me. And so we continued to discuss faith. I asked about whether or not she attends a church, shared with her the church I attend, and encouraged her to keep telling her granddaughter gospel truth every day. And you know what? The other mothers within earshot seemed to lean in, too.
By the time the kids and I had to pack up and leave, several mothers wished me well and said it was nice talking. And, armed with God's wisdom (which He is so faithful to provide in the moment, Luke 12:12), I turned to the grandmother and told her to be encouraged--instead of feeling discouraged when her granddaughter is unruly after time spent with the mother, be encouraged by realizing how malleable and impressionable little ones are such that after a short time in her care, her granddaughter's behavior can quickly change for the good. {note to self: write that one down for my own parenting journey!}
Back in the car headed home, I was tickled to share with the kids that while we were disappointed by the fact that our other friends were not at the park, God used that time as a "divine appointment" for a very weary grandmother. You are a missionary, Mom my eldest stated from the backseat. You tell others about Jesus and you don't have to leave home to do that. So true. We are all missionaries, whether we realize it or not. I don't think we have to eloquently defend the faith, most times. I think we just need to be willing to care about others and slow down, stop and listen, and just tell others what Jesus has done for us.
Like I wrote about in this post here, the real aspects of Christianity do not happen on a TV screen or in a movie theater. So often, they happen in the quiet, simple, and seemingly mundane moments of everyday life. You see, the power of the gospel can even be found on an ordinary shady park bench on a fall afternoon.
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