There are people who come along once in a great while who make an indelible mark on our lives. Sometimes these individuals are singularly unremarkable…on the outside. This is a story of one of these people; a lady unremarkable on the outside but of a most outstanding character within.
For several months now, in fact this whole year, but who's counting, I have been feeling sorry for myself. Life has been tough and though I allow God some room to move I find myself slipping so easily back into the grand old pity party. I hate it because I want to be an encourager but when you go to a pity party, the dress code is a formal frown and black disposition with tie, you come out drunk on self-pity; you are not an encouragement to anyone and usually have the opposite effect. Everyone, especially my family has been suffering. What made it worse is that the more time I've been spending in God's word the uglier I seem to becoming. I repeat: I hate it!
Every turn these past few months seems to take me down the wrong way on a one way street; one bad decision after another, one calamity after another. And today it all seemed to come to a head. I had just resigned myself to the life of a total failure: as a husband, a father, a servant. I could think of nothing good that I had to offer anyone. Poor me! (The party continues!)
Now the place I work has a wonderful skywalk system that allows us to get some good walking in even when the weather is not conducive to that particular activity, and it can be a nice get away when things get hairy in the office. Lots of people take advantage of the skywalks and most seem to just blend into the background.
One particular lady stands out, however. You can see her every day shuffling from one garbage can to another digging for bottles and cans, aluminum cane in one hand and plastic bags in the other. It breaks my heart to think she has to do that but what can I do? I have a hard time keeping up with my own family, but I determined in my heart that the least I could do was be friendly. So whenever I see her I smile and say hello, and she is always quick with a smile and a hello in return.
Once in a while I will walk over to Mr. Beans, one of our many downtown coffee shops, for a bottle of milk and a muffin (No, I still don't drink coffee!) and, on occasion, I have decided to give my breakfast to this little old lady if I should run into her, complements of Jesus Christ, but the timing has never been right and I have not seen her on my return trips.
Today was shaping up like all the other days this year: starting out rough and getting worse. I had errands to run in preparation for an overnight trip to Des Moines and I could not get my ATM card to work. I was furious because this card was touted as such a great thing and it had been nothing but problems since I got it a month ago. I was boiling! And as the Jedi of Star Wars, I took a perilous step toward the dark side by maintaining these thoughts of anger! "Fear, anger these are pathways to the dark side" I could hear Yoda croaking out to Luke Skywalker.
Stepping into the skywalk I saw this humble old lady waist deep in a trash can. As I passed her I smiled and said hello, as was my custom but this time the Lord plucked my heart strings. He reminded me that I had four five dollar bills in my wallet and that I should give her one. Immediately I started making excuses as to why I shouldn't do it including the one that said I could embarrass her and that wouldn't be good! I then thought of Moses and Jonah and their lame excuses and I turned around and headed back. Praise the Lord for the Holy Spirit!
I soon found her shuffling my way. I stopped her and introduced myself to her and then let her talk.
She said her name was Grandma Vi and that she was ninety-two years old so I was to call her Grandma. She said that she comes into the skywalks every day, digs in all of the trash cans looking for bottles and cans and then takes them to the library and turns them in for a program the library has to (get this!) help needy children! These bottles and cans that she faithfully digs out every day she gives to others who have more need than her! This lady does not look as though she has much herself but she does not use what she finds on herself but to help others!
An arrow pierced my heart and I felt tears fill my eyes! In fact, the cold hard heart that I had been cultivating over the past months melted in the intensity of her devotion to others. Oh, Lord! I don't deserve to be in the presence of one so wonderfully humble and caring!
I offered her the five dollars and she shook her head. She went on to say she has determined not to take money from others and we parted ways, me wiping tears from my eyes. I was so humbled by this person who has little to nothing in yet what she does have she gives away! Grandma Vi is rich beyond my wildest dreams and she gave to me and didn't even realize it.
Yes indeed, there are people who come into our lives and affect us profoundly but what I have discovered is that the ones who are lowliest humblest seem to make the greatest impact. What would it have been like to meet Jesus face to face?
I am writing this for all of you as a testimony to a humble old lady who has made the people of the Cedar Rapids skywalks her grandchildren and models Christ's love better than most Christians I know. I can't say she is a believer but she is a wonderful role model.
It is my prayer that we all can have a Grandma Vi in our lives.
From Philippians 4: 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
