A Christmas Present
The call came as we sat down for dinner. I had decided to take my wife out to eat dinner. We don’t get out by ourselves that often and I thought it would be nice to surprise her before the Christmas rush and family came to town.
We had just sat down and ordered when the phone rang. Now I don’t know about you but there is a time to answer the phone and a time to ignore it. As a guy I am not very good at knowing when but I felt that to be responsible I needed to at least see who was calling. Maybe it was the sitter. I hate getting sitters but my wife loves when I make the effort. I don’t know what it is but scheduling a sitter just doesn’t sit well with my football watching persona.
Anyway, I looked at the phone and saw that it wasn’t the sitter but someone from our fellowship. I had to decide at that moment do I risk ruining this date or do I take the call. Again as a guy I usually choose wrong but I decided I should take the call. You see, I will call her Judy, rarely calls and I had not seen her for a few weeks. She comes sporadically, here and there. We have helped her out with some dental work in the past and tried to be with her through some different situations.
As I headed outside the restaurant to take the call Judy informed me that she had checked herself into rehab. She needed someone to pray with her before going in. She had poured the last bottle of vodka down the drain and she was gathering her things. We prayed and talked and I encouraged her.
We have talked since and she has dried out and is moving into the phase of treatment where they talk about how she will live without her long relied on crutch.
It is a Christmas I wouldn’t have imagined several years ago, a Christmas where greater gifts are given than a new video game or clothes or perfume. The gift is redemption. A Christmas with a woman starting down the road to recovering her life.
I was reading in the first chapter of Mark the next day and noticed something I had never seen. Jesus heals a man with an unclean spirit but what I struck me was their location. They are in a synagogue. Jesus has spoken and the text says that a man with an unclean spirit amongst them interrupted the service. The man with the unclean spirit was in the synagogue. As I contemplated that I thanked God that this story was repeated in our place, maybe not as dramatic but the same.
I give thanks to God this Christmas that I am in a place that welcomes those with demons.
The call came as we sat down for dinner. I had decided to take my wife out to eat dinner. We don’t get out by ourselves that often and I thought it would be nice to surprise her before the Christmas rush and family came to town.
We had just sat down and ordered when the phone rang. Now I don’t know about you but there is a time to answer the phone and a time to ignore it. As a guy I am not very good at knowing when but I felt that to be responsible I needed to at least see who was calling. Maybe it was the sitter. I hate getting sitters but my wife loves when I make the effort. I don’t know what it is but scheduling a sitter just doesn’t sit well with my football watching persona.
Anyway, I looked at the phone and saw that it wasn’t the sitter but someone from our fellowship. I had to decide at that moment do I risk ruining this date or do I take the call. Again as a guy I usually choose wrong but I decided I should take the call. You see, I will call her Judy, rarely calls and I had not seen her for a few weeks. She comes sporadically, here and there. We have helped her out with some dental work in the past and tried to be with her through some different situations.
As I headed outside the restaurant to take the call Judy informed me that she had checked herself into rehab. She needed someone to pray with her before going in. She had poured the last bottle of vodka down the drain and she was gathering her things. We prayed and talked and I encouraged her.
We have talked since and she has dried out and is moving into the phase of treatment where they talk about how she will live without her long relied on crutch.
It is a Christmas I wouldn’t have imagined several years ago, a Christmas where greater gifts are given than a new video game or clothes or perfume. The gift is redemption. A Christmas with a woman starting down the road to recovering her life.
I was reading in the first chapter of Mark the next day and noticed something I had never seen. Jesus heals a man with an unclean spirit but what I struck me was their location. They are in a synagogue. Jesus has spoken and the text says that a man with an unclean spirit amongst them interrupted the service. The man with the unclean spirit was in the synagogue. As I contemplated that I thanked God that this story was repeated in our place, maybe not as dramatic but the same.
I give thanks to God this Christmas that I am in a place that welcomes those with demons.
posted by Darin L. Hamm at
12:06 PM
5 Comments:
Bless you, Darin, for taking the call. Bless your wife's grace in forgiving the interruption.
Sometimes the love from the voice on the other end keeps us from falling off the deep end. Again.
in HIS love,
Nick
Some churches don't want the "unwashed masses" in the church building but that is exactly where they need to be! I appreciate the story and your willingness to help "the least of these."
Thanks for stopping by guys.
Darin some might call that a "sacred space." The place of grace.
Shalom,
Bobby Valentine
Darin,
I agree with the gist of what you were saying but have this one comment.
Next date leave the cell phone at home. WE think since we have them that they are a necessity--but ministry went quite well before them.
I bet God would have gotten you in contact if the phone had been at home--the timing would just varied
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