Forward: Sheila Walsh

Dear Friends,

This week I had the joy of watching one of those moments when God puts two people together to display His love and mercy. It was dropped right into the middle of a hectic day.

Life has been pretty nutty around our house as I'm sure it is around yours this time of year. Christian is so excited about Christmas and he turns eight next week too. He has decided that it would be fun to have his party at the house rather than the usual pizza place or laser tag so we will have twenty-four pairs of happy feet running around. We have the joy of hosting the Women of Faith staff Christmas party at our house tonight too, eighty-five more pairs of happy feet. All this to say that I decided to take an hour away from my "to do list" and have a pedicure. I melted into the seat, plopped my feet into a bath of fragrant warm water and closed my eyes. I resisted the nail technician's insistence that everyone should choose red polish at this time of the year.

"Miss Sheila, you must wear red, it's the holidays!!"
"That's not in the Bible," I replied, giving her my purple polish.
I began to drift away when I heard someone say, "You look just like Sheila Walsh."
I opened my eyes and turned to the woman who was now sitting in the chair beside me.
"Oh, you are Sheila Walsh!" she said.

We chatted for a few moments and she told me that she had attended a couple of our conferences and how much they had helped her. We talked about our children and she told me that she has three young ones.

"They must be excited," I said.
"Christmas will be different for us this year," she replied. "My husband died of brain cancer."
"I'm so sorry," I said. "When did he die?"
"Yesterday."

We sat in silence for a few moments. My heart ached for her and for her children."Our Church has been wonderful in every way," she said. "I have seen God's love in action."As we talked I told her of God's amazing faithfulness to my Mom when she was left with three young children to raise after my father's death. God's presence was so evident as we sat together, two women with their feet in tubs of hot water and their hearts in the hands of the King of Kings.

I was finished first and went to wash my hands. When I got back she was gone but there was a note for me. She wrote that even as she drove to the salon that morning she had prayed for peace and protection and God sat us next to each other.

I tell this story for two reasons.

One, I covet your prayers for this Mom and her three children. Her name is Gina. I don't know the children's names but our Father does.

Secondly, yesterday was a reminder to me that God sees us and cares about us. He saw this exhausted, heartbroken woman as she drove to a nail salon, a brief respite before the evening's wake for her beloved husband and sat her beside a friend.

It reminded me too that we don't know what is going on in the lives of those we brush shoulders with every day. Only God can give us eyes to see and ears to hear and the grace to be the fragrance of Christ where life has turned sour.

As Christmas Day gets closer we can buy the usual round of gifts no one really needs but have become synonymous with the season. We all do it but this year we could do more.

We could give ourselves. We could invite the Holy Spirit to empower us to gift bearers of the love and compassion of Christ.

What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.

With much love,
Sheila