Marie

I was not being an “emotional giant” of sorts the Monday morning of week eight.  For some reason everyone was testing the strength of the hinges on their doors up until about one o’clock that day.  It’s probably only a feeling you can understand if you have actually tried this job.  However I got fed up with the morning’s events and followed my manager’s advice and moved to a new area to start working a new school district. 

Marie was the first woman I met that sat down with me and genuinely listened to what I was doing.  She seemingly had a nice house from the street, but as I was walking up to her door I noticed the imperfections of her brown lawn, unkempt bushes, and spider webs on her porch railings. We sat down in two folding chairs in her garage and after about eight minutes she expressed she really had no money to buy anything.

“I’m literally trying to keep my house.  I am on disability and I get $675 every month from the government.”

I was packing up my bookbag when I looked down at Marie’s wrist and I saw that she had a tattoo of cursive writing with purple flowers on either side.  As I looked closer the tattoo said, “Jesus Saves”.

“Marie, I like your tattoo.  What’s your testimony?”

“Oh, that’s a really long story,” she sighed.

“Well tell me the short version.”  Marie talked about spouts of drugs and alcohol, coming to Christ in the 80’s, relapsing in the 90’s, getting pregnant with two kids, and then  returning to the Father in the 2000’s. 

“Marie, can I pray for you?”

“Oh," she stuttered, "I’d love that...”

With our hands intertwined, we began to cry huge, globs of tears as I prayed which I can’t figure out if mine were from the morning’s events or from God’s heart for Marie.  I think they were both.  Meeting Marie changed my week.  I didn’t need a sale to change my perspective; God did it by awakening my heart by what troubled His.

 

Now, seeing as this is my blog I don’t really feel the need to apologize for things I did or did not do properly out on the bookfield.  This day and events were written by God to mature me in the ways that He knew best, to set me free of sin that ensnares me.  I showed Himself to be sufficient in Himself, regardless of my sales or circumstances.  Now He will continue to work on that thing called my attitude.