Chris Rice Cooper
Guest Blogger Michelle
Niederriter
Entertaining Angels!
“Don't forget to show
hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels
without realizing it.”
--Hebrews 13:2
Genesis 18: 1 - 3
A couple of years ago I had
gone to Target with the intention to pick up one item really quick because I
was meeting someone in Montgomery.
I'm in the pharmacy isle
looking for a specific medicine for my allergies when I hear a voice. It was an
elderly man sitting on the bench beside the pharmacy counter waiting for them
to open. My first thought was I don’t have time for conversation but I
politely acknowledged him then went back to looking.
He then said something else
and that made me stop. He told me he had lost his wife just a few months
before. I knew then I couldn’t walk away.
So I sat down and he told me
with tears and love in his eyes about his wife. He told me they always
held hands. That they had been married over 60 years. That she had
Alzheimer’s.
There were more tears. (his
and mine). He told me a little about his military service (He was wearing a
World War 2 veteran cap).
I prayed for him and then
left. This “divine appointment” really tugged at my heart. For
months after, every time I was in target, I’d swing by the pharmacy just in
case he would be there. I’ve thought about him many times since and had
decided that maybe I had “entertained an angel” that day.
Judges 13:16
A couple of weeks ago I decided
to stop by the Starbucks in Target to get my favorite drink before work.
I was kind of in a hurry because I knew we were going to be shorthanded.
I had placed my order and was waiting when I notice this elderly gentleman
sitting at a table alone eating a pastry and drinking coffee. I was
trying not to stare, but kept glancing at him because he looked a little
familiar. He was wearing a WW2 Veteran cap.
So, I said hey and he
smiled. He said a few words and when he told me he had lost his wife a
few years ago and they always held hands I knew it was him! I told him we
had met before and he apologized that he didn’t remember me. I told him
that was ok because I remembered him. I wished that I would have had time
to sit down and talk with him more.
I have missed opportunities in
the past because I was too busy or too distracted or just didn’t want to.
I hope I will recognize and will be willing the next time to be a light.
And I hope to see him again!
Image attributed to Michelle Niederriter
“You are the
light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and
put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to
everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine
before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in
heaven.”
--Matthew
5:14-16
I feel like I have entertained, orbeen visted, by angels several times. God places people in your path. You may never see them again, but I know they were put there for a reason. People ask, "Does God still speak?" My answer is always "YES! But, we have to be willing to listen!"
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