The Steeple

One afternoon in my quiet little office I watch a lady roam down the hall. My office wasn't really little; in fact it was a spacious office even though I shared it with another person. With two desks there was plenty of room for visitors. I didn't get many visitors, especially in the afternoon after the preschoolers left for the day. That is why I noticed the lady wandering down the hall.

She wandered back and popped her head in my door. I looked up from my computer and asked her if I could help her. She must have been in her sixties. I didn't recognize her because she wasn't a member. She leaned into my door and hesitated. Then she said, "I just need to talk to someone." Once you have learned to listen to the Holy Spirit, when these out of the ordinary things occur, you begin to have a sense about them. I decided right away that the someone she needed to talk to must be me. "OK." I replied, anticipating a divine appointment.

She began her explanation. She was diagnosed with cancer five years ago. Her doctor's office is in the medical complex at the end of street that the church is located on. She has passed by the church each time she had visited her oncologist. She told me she watched our new building go up... she watched them raise the steeple. Today she had received a clean bill of health and she wanted to thank someone at the church. She explained to me each time she passed the church and saw the steeple she felt a hope. That still small voice told her that she was not alone in her crisis and God was with her. She couldn't explain why seeing the steeple gave her comfort, nor why she felt the need to stop by and say thank you. But the steeple did give her hope and she did stop by and say thank you and for whatever reason God chose me to receive the message. And I did receive the message because like my new friend I have learned to listen and yield to that still small voice and learn a little more about how God works and blesses those whose hope is in Him.

Where is your hope?

And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but wealso rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Romans 5:2b-5