I was standing in line at a local electronics store this weekend. In front of me were a group of around 8 special needs adults hovering around a lady who seemed to be “in charge” of them. As I stood there, I saw each of them moving around and her anxiously watching their movements.
Then, I saw Jesus standing next to each one and he began to “shepherd” each of them. I realized that she was trying to manage what looked like chaos, but that Jesus was actually doing it for her (and for them, too).
As I watched (with tears in my eyes at this beautiful display of love), he told me that she was taking too much responsibility for their care. She was carrying a weight that she should not have and that it was hurting her. She and the group were called to a register as I stood watching.
Within a minute or two, they were headed out. Just as they disappeared from sight, he told me to go tell her what I saw and that he wanted to lift her burned. As I left the store, I realized that they were nowhere to be found…
Just then, a store clerk announced that they had $.25 hotdogs in the parking lot, and Jesus said, “she told you where to go…” Yep, there they were getting hotdogs. AWESOME! This is going to be FUN!
So, I found her and told her what he had showed me. I also told her that he really wanted to lift her burden and step in as her helper in caring fr her group. She smiled and thanked me and began to move away. I took my que and started to walk to my car.
Within a few seconds, she stopped and turned to me and said, “you know, this is the second time something has happened this week. A few days ago, a man came up to me at the gas station and told me that God told him to buy my gas. Something’s going on.” HOW GREAT!!!!! I get to be a “confirming” circumstance to his love!
I told her again, that God wanted to lift her burden and that it looked like he was really chasing after her to send two people in the same week.
We both left with big smiles. I felt a great sense of accomplishment to have been a part of spreading his love.
Interestingly, a few hours later, I got a phone call about a video production job this week, but it fell on an already hectic day where I have several guys shooting for me in different places. That’s chaos to me. Immediately, he showed me how he would shepherd each guy at each job and totally changed my perspective for the day. By giving me this glorious encounter with this woman, he was able to speak into both of our circumstances to show his love and faithfulness in even the smallest details of our lives. God is good!
-Shawn