Dr. Dre Can't Make a Ho a Housewife
But Jesus can
“If you’re not too proud, I think this will help you,” the man said, pushing a shopping cart over to my worn travel suitcase.
I had been dragging it on pavement so many miles, the cheap plastic wheels had worn flat.
“I have no pride left, and nothing to lose. Thank you,” I said.
I heaved the heavy suitcase into the shopping cart.
My morning had started weird, eyes blinking open to the blood stains on the wall from the missed veins of IV drug users. I had spent the night with my back against a total stranger, who found me wondering in the snow in a parking lot.
He told me he had a squat we could stay warm in, and promised not to try any funny stuff. He kept his word. In the morning, his side of the bed was cold and empty, and I rummaged around cleaning up the dirty room as a thank you. I left my 12-step recovery book on the tv stand as a nod to the blood stains, and went on my way.
Now with the rattling shopping cart vibrating my already sore bones, I began to weep. The weight of my week finally hit me. I had been evicted from my home. The court had ordered my children into someone else’ custody. My husband had thrown me out in the snow. I was penniless, homeless, childless, and abandoned.
“Lord,” I whispered through hot tears, looking up at the sky, “I’m gonna sell my ass or some dope to get off the streets. I can’t live like this. But I don’t want to live like that,” I said. “Please help me.”
As if a spotlight shone on the dingy parking lot up and to the right, my attention snapped. I heard His voice instruct me, “Go into that parking lot.”
I began to argue but then the Lord asked me if I trusted him. I grumbled and muttered about not having much choice.
I waited at the traffic light, feeling silly, worried schizophrenia had kicked in.
As I pushed my shopping cart into the appointed parking lot, a black truck pulled up so close it nearly hit me. I drew a breath to yell at the man. “Shut your mouth,” the Holy Spirit said sternly.
The man rolled down his window. Beside him were two young girls, probably seven and four. He told me they were his daughters.
“Each year we save money to give to someone in need, and you look like you’re in need,” he explained.
He reached out the window and gave me a large plastic jar filled with pounds of coins. “There’s a fifty dollar bill tucked in there, he grinned.”
Tears gushed down my face as I explained to him I had just been praying for help.
The next morning at the Coin Star I found a small coin among the money, with a scripture that read, ”If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”- Romans 10:9
I used the money to pay for ride back to the West Coast where I had somewhere to stay. My dad got me a job on a small farm. I reunited with my husband. My children are back in my life. I’ve been praying every day since and reading the Bible faithfully.
Never doubt what one random act of kindness can do. The Lord works all things to the good of those who love Him.