Psalm 121
Listen - click for new tab
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
8 The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.
When my parents divorced, I was 18 and my brother was 10, my father had a high school friend who had recently moved to Dallas. He called to arrange dinner with the two families not knowing a terrible, nasty divorce was in the midst. My mom told him of the impending divorce, she appreciated his call, and if they wanted still to get together - that was fine, but we were not our normal selves. They came anyway. My mom told them my dad had fallen in love with a friend of her's for 20 years and was leaving. I remember being embarrassed, I thought for sure, well that is the last we will see of them. Joe was pretty quiet. He carried his plate into the kitchen. He returned to the table, it was a big lull in the conversation.
Joe Dickey and his wife Sue looked at each other. Joe said, so you'll need to move your furniture to the property my mom was receiving in the divorce. My mom agreed. He said well, we are here to help. Bigger silence. My mother, my brother and I all said, Oh, no, we had it covered. Joe said, no you don't. It's too big a job for a woman in the middle of a divorce. He said he would rent a truck and help. They did. And my mom's long-time ago roommate after college came, with her husband, and they also rented a truck and helped.
My 10 year old brother was really having a hard time coping with the loss, the move and being a latch key child. He was fearful of the hours alone. Sue and Joe moved. They had joined our Church. When they moved, it was down the street a block from us in Dallas. They moved so my brother wouldn't be alone in the afternoons. On Friday night, 3 really sad people would go with Joe and Sue to eat Mexican food. Every Friday night. Later, Joe got me my first summer job.
~~~~~~
Many years later, jumping ahead 20 years; Our youth minister said to the youth group, today we are going to Tamina. Tamina isn't a wealthy place, people struggle to get by. We have a lady who cares for her two grandchildren in a small 2 bedroom frame house. The house has needed paint for 20 years. Our new friend has always wanted her house to be painted pale pink. Some of you boys will think pale pink is an unusual color for a house. Let me tell you something important for today. Jesus said, what you do for the least of My Brothers - you do for Me. Today, kids, Jesus wants His house painted pale pink. Our new friend is a child of God and the Holy Spirit dwells within her. So this is Jesus' house and we are giving a gift that will really be appreciated. We are painting Jesus' house pale pink.
~~~~~~
Just what Joe and Sue Dickey did for us. Just what we did for the lady with the pale pink house. Help comes from the Lord.
Isaiah 6:8
And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”
<><
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment