It's easy to get lost in the maze of caregiving, isn't it? Sometimes, we can feel so unseen and non-existent in today's rushed world. Occasionally, we get a nod from a medical professional or someone who at least breathes a tiny bit of life back into us. But for the most part, we are pretty invisible to a world that doesn't know what to do with us. (And that includes the church world.)
This morning, I was thinking about the widow and Elijah again. In I Kings 17, we have the story of how the prophet Elijah was pulled off his miracle existence, so God could do a miracle for the widow. She's only called "the widow" and "the woman." We never get her name. Yet she was "given a charge" or appointed by God for a miracle, even though she didn't have a clue. She spent the remainder of the famine with jars full of oil and flour. How did God do that?
We have a similar scenario in John 4. Jesus was at the height of His ministry when He decided He "needed" to go through Samaria. And He did it just so He could talk to a woman at a well. His disciples didn't marvel that He went through Samaria; they were astounded that He talked to a woman. (John 4:27) And once again - we don't have a name to work with. Yet, He talked with her about living water, worship, and even disclosed to her that He was the Messiah.
Maybe, just maybe - He sees us too. Maybe we are not nameless, per se, but we can feel overlooked, abandoned, and forgotten. But here we have two instances where God halted all He was doing to reach out to nameless women. I don't know about you - but that encourages me and helps me remember that He's still reaching out to us nameless, faceless few.
Today, I'll remind myself that He'll walk right into any Samaria or famine I may be facing. He'll sit and talk with me - I just need to listen. He won't withhold who He really is from me because of my situation. I'll remind myself that I'm not excluded from relationship because of my caregiving responsibilities. He still bids us to come. To sit. To drink of Him and be filled. So, today, I'll bring this big ole empty cup called my soul to Him, and I will hold it up to Him and wait for Him to fill it with His peace, comfort, and joy. Will you join me?
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