Sometimes God puts people in our path for reasons we don't understand until we take the time to stop and listen.
Today, my husband and I were visiting a hotel, and after we sat down in the restaurant, I noticed a woman working behind the breakfast buffet. She was busy doing all the things that needed to be done—making pancakes, wiping down counters, preparing fresh coffee and keeping everything neat and orderly. Yet there was something else I noticed about her. Every time someone walked through the door, she greeted them warmly and enthusiastically. It wasn't just a polite, "Good morning." She genuinely seemed happy to see each person who entered.
As I watched her, I had the distinct impression that she was lonely. Perhaps she wasn't simply looking for someone to serve breakfast to. Perhaps she was looking for someone who would stop long enough to see her.
Eventually, we had the opportunity to meet face-to-face and talk for quite a while. Her name was Jennifer, and as she opened up, I learned that she was 62 years old and in recovery from drug addiction. She had only been working at the hotel for seven weeks. She told me about her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and shared pieces of a life that had been filled with more difficulty than most people would ever know.
As she talked about her recovery, she told me something that I found especially touching. She is working toward being able to get a special celebratory toe ring as she continues progressing through her recovery. She explained that there are different ways people celebrate milestones along the journey, and that some recovery tokens are connected to specific amounts of time in sobriety. To her, that toe ring wasn't simply a piece of jewelry. It represented something she was working toward, a reminder of how far she had come and the progress she hoped to continue making.
I couldn't help but think about how meaningful that little ring must be to her. Every day she chooses recovery is another step forward. Every morning she gets out of bed and goes to work is another step forward. Every difficult moment she faces without returning to the life she is trying to leave behind is another step forward.
Then she said something that broke my heart. She was ashamed that this was the only job she had been able to find. She needed the income from this job to supplement her Social Security so she could pay her rent.
But as I looked at Jennifer, I didn't see a woman who should be ashamed. I saw a woman who was working, trying and refusing to give up. I saw someone who had survived difficult things and was still standing. I saw a woman who was getting up every morning and showing up, even when life had not given her an easy road.
I wondered how often we look at people and see only the position they hold, the clothes they wear, the mistakes they've made or the circumstances they find themselves in, while God sees something entirely different. Jennifer wasn't merely the woman working behind the breakfast counter. She was someone's grandmother and great-grandmother. She was a woman with a story, a history, hopes and disappointments. Most importantly, she was a person created in the image of God and deeply loved by Him.
I asked Jennifer if she was a believer in Christ, and her answer made my heart smile. She said she was. As we continued talking about our lives, I could see her beginning to relax. Her smile became more natural, and the guarded expression she initially carried seemed to disappear. She wasn't just talking to a hotel guest anymore. We were two women sharing pieces of our lives with one another.
Before we left, I told her how thankful I was that we had the opportunity to meet that morning, and she told me she felt the same way. As I walked away, I couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't simply a chance encounter. I believe it was an ordained encounter.
Maybe God knew Jennifer needed someone to sit down and listen to her that morning. Maybe He knew I needed to be reminded that beneath every uniform, behind every counter and inside every stranger is a story that I may know nothing about. Perhaps that's why Scripture tells us to be careful how we treat strangers. Hebrews 13:2 reminds us, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”
We don't always know why God places someone in our path, and we don't always know what they need. Sometimes they need a meal. Sometimes they need encouragement. Sometimes they need prayer. Sometimes they simply need someone to look them in the eyes and listen to what they have to say. Sometimes God puts them in our path because He wants to remind us that every person matters.
Jennifer may never know how much our conversation touched me. She may have thought she was simply talking to a hotel guest while doing her morning work, but I believe God had something else in mind. He gave me the opportunity to see beyond her circumstances and recognize her worth.
And perhaps there is another lesson in that little toe ring Jennifer is working toward. We all have milestones along our journey. Some are visible to others, while some are known only to God. There are moments when we need something that reminds us, Look how far you've come. We may not be where we want to be yet, but we aren't where we once were either.
God isn't finished with us simply because our journey has been difficult. He doesn't discard us because we've made mistakes. He doesn't measure our worth by the lowest point of our lives. His grace meets us right where we are and gives us the strength to take the next step.
Maybe that's one of the ways God wants us to live each day, not rushing past people, but slowing down long enough to notice them. The cashier, the waitress, the person sitting alone, the employee who seems unusually eager to talk, the neighbor who rarely has visitors or the stranger who smiles at us in passing may all be carrying stories we know nothing about.
We may never know what someone is carrying behind the smile on their face, but a few minutes of kindness, a listening ear and a genuine conversation can sometimes become much more than we realize.
Today, I am thankful for Jennifer and for the opportunity to share a few moments of life with her. I'm thankful I noticed her, thankful she opened her heart and thankful that what appeared to be an ordinary morning at a hotel restaurant may have been anything but ordinary in God's eyes.
Perhaps God arranged our meeting because Jennifer needed to be reminded that she was seen, valued and worthy of kindness. Perhaps He arranged it because I needed to be reminded that everyone has a story, and that we should never judge someone's worth by where they are in life.
And perhaps, when Jennifer finally gets that celebratory toe ring, she'll look down at her foot and remember every difficult step that brought her there.
Maybe it wasn't a chance encounter after all.
Maybe it was a divine appointment.
Heavenly Father, thank You for the people You place in our paths each day, even when we don't immediately recognize why they are there. Help us to slow down enough to notice the lonely, the hurting, the discouraged and the people who simply need someone to listen. Give us eyes to see beyond circumstances and appearances and help us see each person the way You see them.
Thank You for Jennifer and for the opportunity to share a few moments of life with her. Continue to strengthen her as she walks this journey of recovery, giving her courage for each new day and reminding her of the progress she has already made. When she finally reaches the milestone she is working toward, let that little toe ring be a reminder of perseverance, hope and how far she has come.
Most of all, remind her that her past does not define her, her circumstances do not determine her worth, and she is deeply loved by You. And when You place someone in our path, help us recognize those divine appointments and have the courage to stop, listen and love.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
Everyday Devotionals by Bonnie Annis
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