Count Your Blessings
Look around you! God is present if you only take time to look.
Sue and I had the opportunity to share a Holiday meal last Wednesday with 15 men who live in housing owned by Westminster Presbyterian Church, our neighboring congregation, and managed under the care and leadership of Friendship House in Wilmington. These houses, Burton House, Daughtry House, and Clark House are situated around the perimeter of the Westminster parking lot. The Friendship House offices occupy the first floor of Daughtry House on 13th Street. Some of the men live on the second and third floors. Burton House is directly adjacent to and sits behind Daughtry House. Clark House is diagonally across North Rodney St. from the former education and office building that St. Stephen’s owned until 2012.
Volunteers from Westminster prepared a variety of casseroles and desserts and gift bags for the group of men that gathered that evening. I sat for dinner with two of the residents.
And that was when I felt God’s presence. Both of these men had stories to tell – their personal stories. Each had been raised under extremely difficult circumstances. Each was an addict but each had been sober/clean for a significant period of time. One was looking for work and had interviewed at a number of places. He had received two call backs and was optimistic he would be working again within a few weeks. The other was working at a meaningful job. Most importantly, both commented more than once how grateful they were for the security of their current housing situation and how grateful they were for all of the blessings in their life. Wow! I thought about how blessed I am with so many more advantages than these two have and, yet, here they were, genuinely thankful for their blessings of just the very basics – security, meaningful work in place or about to happen, companionship with the other men, and the support of the staff at Friendship House.
As each told his tale, each commented on the role God plays in their life. “I would not be here, maybe not even alive, without God’s help,” one said. “I OD’d one night and when I died, I saw a colorful circle around me and I felt myself being raised up. Later, after I was resuscitated, I felt so different as I remembered vividly what I had seen. I knew God had another plan for me. And I trust Him to help me find that plan.”
The conversations with these two men were humbling and inspiring at the same time. God has reached these two men and, in a way, has set them free. They are not embarrassed to share their stories with caring strangers who are willing to listen. They are able to start each day with purpose. They know they are not alone.
Praise be to God for being in their lives! Praise be to God for being in all of our lives!
Bob Linderman
