I Was A Stranger

Recently while waiting for a flight in an airport I witnessed the tearful goodbye between a soldier and his wife. It was gut wrenching. As he literally tore himself away from her to board his plane, she was visibly distraught and unable to walk, much less drive herself home.

She stumbled past me, stopped to balance herself and took a seat struggling to regain composure. I knew in that moment that she really needed someone with skin on to pat her back, offer support and share words of gratitude for her sacrifice.

Now, I try to be sensitive about entering a stranger’s pain uninvited. I had the internal debate about what I was considering. I had no idea how I would be received and basically broke out in a cold sweat at the thought of offending her in this tender situation. Oh God, why can’t I sit here with my diet coke and iPhone and check the Facebook status of people I know?

The debate continued. Perhaps she wants to be alone. Why didn’t she bring her own support system with her? Didn’t she know this would be an emotional goodbye? She should have planned for the pain. Then, of course, I offered myself the excuse that I could not relate to what she was going through. I mean how in the world could I possibly relate to her situation? I don’t have a single family member in the military. I didn’t have a clue about her pain.

But, the words of Christ in Matthew 25 beckoned me: “I was a stranger and you took me in….” In that moment all my excuses no longer mattered. Take the plunge, Julie. Just do it. It didn’t matter that I gave her a shoulder to cry on. No matter that I gave her an opportunity to boast about her husband’s brave military accomplishments: (4 deployments and 2 Purple Hearts.) In my obedience I found that I didn’t even need reassurance that I had done the right thing. Oh there were signs that it had not been the socially wrong thing to do: she stopped crying, her breathing eased, there was a noticeable change in her demeanor and she expressed sincere words of gratitude that I had prayed with her. But, in the end it wasn’t how she responded to ME that mattered. It wasn’t really MY comfort she was seeking. It was HIS. In that one moment of obedience, I was Jesus with skin on.

Why is it so hard for us to reach out, share a kind word, and offer support when we see someone is hurting? I used to think it was because we want to respect another’s privacy. But could it be that it’s really about our own privacy? We put in our earplugs, avoid eye contact and obsess over our iPhones. All the while we are missing divine appointments to engage a hurting world.

So…put yourself out there. Take a risk. Be obedient. People desperately need to know God cares, and amazingly by His divine plan sometimes He uses us to show it…to complete strangers.