A Broken Heart

You just never know about a person until you spend time talking with them. There was someone I didn't know well, but I had heard she was not attentive to her aging parents, spoiled, and cold. I didn't know her well enough to form an opinion, but I supposed she seemed like I had heard her described. I found myself disliking her for little reason other than the rumors. But then yesterday, our paths unexpectedly crossed, and we started chatting. I had just finished visiting my mother-in-law at the nursing home, and ran into the woman shortly afterwards. She shared personal parts of her life, her upbringing, which I had never known, and would never have suspected. Not only did I find myself completely understanding the way she had acted in response to a difficult and, in some ways, tragic childhood, but I found myself amazed that she had managed to survive intact, and become a good parent, and a forgiving daughter. By the time I walked away, my dislike and misunderstanding had completely transformed to admiration. I realized that once again, God had maneuvered a divine appointment into my mundane life to teach me a much needed lesson.

She was struggling with aging parents who were in pain, and dying. She said she never wanted to do that to her own children.
"I may rot in hell, but I may decide to just end it all with a handful of pills rather than put my children through this," she said.
"Yes, I understand why you feel that way," I said, "But you know, caring for my failing mother-in-law is the only thing I do that is completely unselfish. I get no benefit, and yet, when I leave, it is when I feel best about myself."
My new friend nodded, "I never really thought of it that way...but that is true. Through all of this awful stuff, I have seen my father come to God. And watching him in all this struggle has made me able to forgive him. In fact, it has increased my faith. I have changed through this experience. You are right."

We parted ways, and I hoped that she felt as blessed by our "chance" encounter as I did. You never know what road a fellow traveler has walked. It is so much better to offer a steadying hand, than to push her into the gutter, or even worse, pass her by as though she were of no consequence.

Psalm 51:10-12,16-17 (NIV)
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. [11] Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. [12] Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. [16] You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. [17] My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.

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