My heart literally lept with joy when I saw who it was. It was my friend "Fred" (posting from October 12, 2008, "Thank God for adorable pajamas!"). He looked so good...healthy, his heart was happy, and he was ready for the BIG hug I laid on him. He had a smile from ear to ear.
I have to admit, I have not always been happy to see Fred coming my way. I would love to say that I always acted like the "Good Samaritan" when Fred was around, but that would be a lie. I would get frustrated with his vocabulary, him demanding to use my phone (he learned "please" really fast on that one) and just the bad attitude he would have walking through my yard. Sometimes I just did not like the "inconvenience".
Then there were the days that the Lord used Fred to speak to me about real love and service to others...the walk that comes with the talk. The days when my heart was so broken over a little boy and his brother, wanting them to know the love of Jesus, the destiny and purposes that He has for them.
I remember the day, this spring, when I heard Fred's screams before he knocked on my door. His brother had turned the peddles on the bike, where Fred had his hands in the chain. Needless to say, it was bleeding and very painful...especially after big brother offered to "help" by pouring rubbing alcohol all over Fred's injuries. Hhhmmmm.
As I was tending to Fred's hand, I remember praying that the Lord would minister to this little guy's heart. It really was a sweet moment. A few months later, Fred and his family were gone...vanished almost. They left all of their belongings in their rental house and we had not heard from them or seen them...until today.
Over the past few months, while I am outside working, or having a time of praying for the neighborhood, I have asked the Lord about my little neighbors that have moved away. (Another little friend, Saira, also moved out after being here for a very long time). Who would He have us minister to? Did I do enough to impact these lives of my little friends?
I sensed that the Lord was saying the He knows where they are, never out of His sight, and that He will bring others into their lives to nurture them. The seeds that have been planted and watered while they were "in our care", are ultimately the responsibility of the Master Gardener. My responsibility is to pray for them.
To have Fred come by today was so encouraging. To see that he looks well, it just reminds me of the faithfulness of God. It also reminds me that God is continually at work. He is a God of Hope. Redemption. Restoration.
