What's A Blog Anyway?

What’s A “Blog” Anyway?

This question was asked of me from a dear friend who is seventy-eight years old. Quite frankly, I didn’t know the correct technical response, so I’ve decided to come up with my own definition. My hope is this Blog will be a constant reminder for us to:

Be Like Our God.

As I started writing, a particular individual came to mind as I was thinking about my definition. It’s funny how God will place people in your life if only for a season. My season was this past January during one of the most difficult moments of my life; the death of my mother. I remember flying in the week before she died, not knowing what to expect. Her health had declined dramatically and the role of caretaker had reversed. When I landed in St. Louis, I made arrangements for a car service to drive the three remaining hours to my hometown because I didn’t need the added stress of facing icy roads. As I was walking towards the baggage claim area, I silently prayed for something miraculous to happen. Perhaps God would send me a beautiful angel draped in white to come to my rescue, wrapping his wings around me and provide assurance that everything would be ok. Well, that’s not exactly what happened.
As I approached the baggage claim area, a tall, heavy set black man approached me. He had the hugest smile which exposed the gaping holes where teeth once resided. I noticed his coffee-stained shirt was too small as the buttons struggled to stay in their buttonholes. He introduced himself as Jimmy, the man who would be driving me to my hometown. I chuckled to myself because this wasn’t what I prayed for. I envisioned a beautiful angelic being and instead, I received a large “Santa Claus” type man. As we were waiting for my bag, he kindly asked what the occasion was for my visit. I looked up at his big broad smile and quietly stated, “My mother is dying.”
Well, you can imagine the thick silence that formed between us. Nothing more was spoken until we got into his van. While exiting the airport, Jimmy asked if he could pray for my family. I said that would be nice, but again, the unexpected happened. Jimmy started to pray out loud quoting Scripture and singing psalms of praise. For a moment, I wasn’t sure what was happening. I contemplated jumping out of the van, but we were traveling seventy miles an hour and my family certainly didn’t need two funerals to plan. Jimmy must have noticed my expression in the rear-view mirror. He asked if I believed in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I responded that I did. He then proceeded to share the Gospel of Luke and the story of Jesus’ return to earth. I found myself listening intently to every word and was simply amazed at this man’s passion for Scripture. I asked Jimmy if he was a preacher and he chuckled at my question. Jimmy shared with me his dark past of selling drugs as a young man to support himself and his family. He confessed he never killed anyone, but the thought had certainly crossed his mind. The last thing he said was at the lowest point in his life is when Jesus Christ revealed His love.
Tears were streaming down my cheeks as we pulled up to the hospital where my mother was staying. I hugged Jimmy in the parking lot and asked if our paths would ever cross again. I will never forget his response: “Oh Ms. J, you can be certain of that. I’ll see you at the feast!”
When he released me from his bear hug, it felt like an angel releasing me from his wings. I suddenly felt that no matter what, everything would be ok.
I haven’t seen or heard of Jimmy since my mother’s death, but I know my prayer that day in the airport was answered. God did send me an angel, although I didn’t recognize him because of my judgmental eyes. Outwardly, Jimmy didn’t look like an angel, but inwardly, he reflected the qualities of Christ more than I had ever seen. Praise God for the Jimmy’s of the world who strive every day to Be Like Our God.

“He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”
(Psalm 91:4)