Last weekend I spoke at an event for Compassion. I was taken aback when I met one of my volunteers.
She had a face that rattled me.
It was completely normal on one side, but the other side looked like the weight of gravity had dropped her features three inches down her face. Her right eye was open and looked to be non functioning. It was situated to the right of her nose. The right side of her mouth drooped down and was paralyzed, so only one side moved while she was speaking.
My immediate response was sympathy. But I also had a sense of bewilderment how this was all going to work out.
As I steadied my gaze and began conversing with her, it soon became apparent that she looked in a different mirror. She was engaging and self assured, and thrilled to be there. She had one of the most appealing voices I had ever heard. She couldn’t wait to stand at the table, because she and her friend sponsored ten kids between them. This was a way she could get more of them to be helped.
In my muddled shame and wonderment, I suddenly realized God had shown up.
Often, God chooses unlikely times and places to make an appearance. He also shows up in unexpected packages. As this volunteer talked about the kids that she and her friend sponsored, she mentioned that three of them were “special needs”. I was inwardly startled at the irony. She went on to say she was trying to help one of her kids raise $15,000 for an operation to remove her tracheotomy. The child could now breathe normally, and her parents couldn’t afford to get it out.
I gazed at her face, which was slowly growing more beautiful. The more I listened, the more lovely she became.
The wonderment I felt walking in was exchanged with a new kind of wonder by the time I left.
I was the speaker, and gave two talks.
She stood at the table, and gave us Jesus.