Yesterday was a very strange day at work.  There was much to be done and the need for great creativity, but both of those were superseded by the deeper need of others to talk and to be heard.

Every time I turned around what began as a conversation about clothing or home decor ended up being a sharing of hearts.    It’s not uncommon for such conversations to be sprinkled throughout the week, but to have so many back to back in one day was uncanny.

Months ago I wrote about a woman who had come into the store that had just lost her daughter to cancer and had just found out that her second daughter also had a very rare type of aggressive cancer.  At that point she had just kind of fallen apart in my arms at the store.  She came back into the store yesterday.  This was the first time I had seen her since that conversation.  It was clear that though things were difficult, she was moving forward and getting used to her “new normal”.  Through the stories that she shared, it’s clear that God is working in her heart and mind and wooing her to Himself.  She is developing a hunger for spiritual things.  She is seeing that He is the endless source of comfort.

Just as she did last time, she grabbed me in a bear hug and resisted letting go for a time. Tears filled her eyes as I told her of the progress I saw in her since last time we met.  The journey of grief isn’t over.  It never really will be.  But she is learning to truly live again.  And my hope is that soon she will spend the rest of her days hand in hand with the One who loves her more than she can know.

There were other stories with other people, not as heart wrenching, but life-altering to the people sharing them.  Some recognize God’s hand at work.  Others don’t yet see the correlation.  But relationships are being formed and conversations are being had that can hopefully ignite a curiosity that will blossom into a personal faith.

Once again, everyone has a story that they are dying to tell.  Whether they’re asking for a hug or just an ear, they just need to know that they’re not alone.  And every day I am convinced that it is my calling to let them know that they are not….

Deuteronomy 31:6 – Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.

Isaiah 43:2 – When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.