LOVE IN ACTION

*to Bloglines and feed readers... you got sort of an original version. I found that after it published, it was hard for me to read. And this subject, near and dear to my heart, was hard to write about as well. I have such STRONG feelings about judging one another. I did not want to come across as judging this girl and did some editing after it was published. This is the version that I prefer.


I was thinking about something that happened some time ago.

We were living in an apartment in Decatur Alabama. The girls were almost 2 and 3 years old. It was difficult moving to a new city, as well as leaving our house behind for an apartment. But it was a transfer for my Husband's job and necessary.

Much like now, except my kiddos are all school age and there are three of them.

I hated the apartment. The walls were thin, there was a Pot Smoking Police officer upstairs from us who liked loud music. There was an angry scripture quoting old couple that lived next door. They actively hated the two Lesbian chicks that lived above them, and hated the old folks back. It was place of negative attitudes.

One night, I heard screaming, banging, and someone run by our door crying. I looked out my window (because I am NOSEY) and saw one of the girls from upstairs sitting on the sidewalk, squawling. She jumped up, ran to her car, and just sat there inside of it. I looked at my husband, told him what I saw, and asked him to listen out for our sleeping daughters.

Grabbing a jacket, I went out to her car. She had her head bowed forward on the steering wheel, crying her eyes out. I knocked on her window and she sat up, looking...hopeful?

Oh. Just me.

She rolled down her window and I asked her, "Can I sit with you?"

She let me get in the car, and we talked. Or actually, she talked and I listened. She had had a fight with her girlfriend, a beautiful girl that dressed and behaved in a way to intentionally upset the elderly neighbors. She told me that she had hit her girlfriend. And striking her girlfriend was what had broken this girl's heart. She said that her girlfriend had provoked her verbally, had verbally assaulted her until she lashed out. And hit her in the face. And at that, she began banging her head against the steering wheel in anguish.

What she had done just wrecked her. And I remember asking her if I could pray for her. And I did. Right there in that car, I prayed for her. I don't remember the prayer, I just know this girl was hurting and confused. And I handle other's pain and confusion, as well as my own, through prayer.

I can't remember exactly what was said that night. Just like I don't remember what I prayed. But I do know, that I talked about the Lord without ONCE saying anything about sin. . See, it just wasn't the right thing to do. But to BE there for this girl... Don't you think she came closer to seeing Christ through my presence than if I had stuck a Bible under her nose? She just needed to know that God loved her and forgave her, which I did say. You can't talk about the Lord, without talking about Love and Forgiveness.



I had to put LOVE into action in this situation. Christ loved this girl through my obvious concern for her. It was His job to convict her heart. My job to love my neighbor, and His job to Judge. I am completely comfortable with those roles.


Do I have any idea what happened to her? No, we moved very soon after this happened. And I haven't thought about this since it occurred. But I offered a prayer for her when I remembered this story. And maybe that is why God brought it to my mind. So that I could fellowship with Him once more over her, and pray a blessing over her life.

Let me say this about comments.....

I really would prefer not to get comments about Homosexuality or the scriptures that the elderly couple liked to quote. That sounds snarky, but I KNOW what the Bible says. This post was written because God brought it to my remembrance. And I felt compelled to share the story.

And if you are a 30 something year old Lesbian who used to live in an apartment in Decatur Alabama, and you sat in a car late one night with a nosey Christian, DEFINITELY leave me a comment. I'd like to know that you are all right.