May you be a friend like that

Long ago, there was a meeting of pastors 100 miles from my house. They had asked me to speak about ministry in daily life, and I agreed. I wrote out my half-hour talk and practiced until I thought I was ready. Then I had to endure a fear-ridden, two-hour journey there. Who was I to believe I had anything to say to this group? I was terrified.

Suddenly someone in a wheelchair backed out of a row and came toward me—a friend I recognized. I knelt down next to her and she put her arms around my neck and whispered, “Oh boy! Are these people in for a treat!” And then she did a modified wheelie and went back to her place.

My friend’s bold kindness evaporated my fear. Her warmth allowed me to share my thoughts without fear. When I was afraid I would fall on my face, my friend picked me up.

May you have a friend like that. May you be a friend like  that.

Today is World Refugee Day. Who will you befriend? This  message was adapted from “Fear of Falling” by Marj Leegard appeared in the January/February 2006 issue of Lutheran Woman Today (now Gather) magazine.