Rich and I enjoyed our 7th anniversary on the beautiful island of Kho Phi Phi in Thailand. We had just finished a week of ministry in Manila, Philippines, and we were both excited to take a break and just forget about our responsibilities for a few days.
Thailand was HOT. And I live in Yuma, AZ, one of the hottest places in the United States. So, I know what hot is, and this was another level. We found a little restaurant, the Atom Café, with decent air conditioning and ended up eating there almost every day🫣.
When you pick a spot to frequent, you make friends as long as you are friendly. (Two key words there for a side lesson … 😘)
One of the servers we had was a hustler. I would guess he was about 25, always smiling, working very hard, and spoke decent English. I pointed out to Rich these terrible scars he had on his arms, but I never would have guessed what we would soon learn about his life. I wasn’t ready for it.
I was there for vacation! I wasn’t really interested in anyone’s story. But when you love Jesus, you must always be open for business, and Jesus doesn’t care how you feel about it. He will put people in your life that need him on any day He pleases.
Jesus was that way, always open for business.
The woman at the well (John 4)… Jesus had been traveling with his guys for days. He was tired, hungry, and thirsty. He was probably happy to rest, but then he saw her.
Not notice her… not glance or even look at her… HE SAW her.
He was not too tired, hungry, or thirsty; He was not so preoccupied with his own needs and wants that he didn’t have time for her. He saw her, loved her, and chose to set aside his flesh and ministered to this woman who was desperate for HIM.
On this hot day in the middle of our vacation, at the little “Atom Café” in Thailand, Jesus wanted us to SEE this young man.
I asked him what his name was. “My name is Om. Where are you from?”
“Oh, nice to meet you, Om! We are from America! Are you from here?”
He said no and that he was from Myanmar (Burma).
Burma!? Wow. If you don’t know Rich’s story, Burma is where it all began. That was his first mission trip, where the Lord birthed MISSION into his heart. He began ministry there and was then invited to never return to the country again😅. So, he moved on to work in the Philippines.
Rich told him, “I have been there a few times!” Om was very excited about that.
I asked, “Do you still have family there?” And immediately regretted the question.
He began to tremble. His face, speech and hands were overtaken with ticks; he began to stutter, and he could barely get a word out. He said “no”. There was a war. Soldiers killed everyone in his village. They murdered everyone in his family except him and his brother. He pointed to the scars I had noticed before and said, “That is where I got these.” Rich and I just kept saying, “I’m so sorry, I am so so sorry…”
But he continued smiling, and then, feeling rushed to get back to work, said, “ok, let me know if you need anything!” as if that conversation had never happened. I watched him continue to work during the remainder of our meal, and his face just kept smiling, but now I knew his pain. Just under the smile was more brokenness than I could have ever imagined.
I can’t tell you how I felt. Shocked? Foolish? Petty? Shallow? I wanted to cry; I did cry. I wanted to hold him and give him all of our money. I wanted to make his life better, and there was nothing I could do. I just sat there and felt so brokenhearted at this young man’s horrible story. I felt so petty at what I had been thinking about moments before. I don’t even know what it was but I’m sure it was dumb in comparison. I looked at Rich and we both had tears in our eyes. We were quiet for the rest of our lunch, having faced someone’s brutal reality.
Jesus wanted me to HEAR and SEE him. He wanted me to remember that people are hurting and suffering; no matter what face or performance they have going on, they NEED JESUS. And I must take the time to SEE them. Even in times I have designated for my personal life, time for fun, vacation or rest, I can’t put my heart for people on pause, mute, or even “off.” I must keep it ready and prepared to give the love of Jesus to anyone who desperately needs it. We loved on Om as much as we could. We became friends and he was happy when he saw us each day. We hugged him before we left for home and blessed him. I will never forget him.
After meeting Om, I have pondered what we consider ‘problems.’
I have a running tally of things I like to call ‘problems’ that I stress over. I deal with people every day who have ‘problems.’ My question to myself and to you is this: ARE THEY REALLY PROBLEMS?
Honestly, I feel like I get bored and create problems for something to do, something to stress over or to keep me busy. If I were busier with what Jesus wants me to do, I wouldn’t have time for ridiculous, petty problems!
Some of our problems are very real! I never want to discount people’s pain and struggles. Some of you, like Umm, have faced unimaginable trauma. But that is not what I am addressing🙏.
In the light of someone like Om, for me, it made the majority of my ‘problems’ seem almost embarrassing. It made them feel so petty, silly, and ridiculous. My guess is that you can relate to this and agree.
I need to do better. We need to do better.
1. You never know who the next Om is that you are supposed to meet. It could be the cashier you see, the mom you run into all the time picking up your kid, the co-worker, or the teen that lives next door, the dude that tells you that your AC unit on your house has exploded and you need a new one.
Open your EYES… open your HEART. Be open for business. People are hurting without the love of Jesus, and we are so disgustingly comfortable with that. As long as WE are happy in our own lives, their lives are not really our concern.
2. Look at other people’s lives, and let’s stop focusing on ourselves. Set your problems in the proper place and not the center of our attention, the center of your world. Get some FAITH for your life… and let’s lift our eyes and look around to help someone rather than focusing on ourselves.
Will you pray with me for Om and his brother? I have used our picture together for this post. He needs Jesus to touch his life. Jesus is not known in Thailand. Only 1.2 % of the population identifies as Christian. It will take a miracle.
And I will also pray over you and I this prayer and these verses:
“I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart!” – Ezekiel 11:19 (NLT)
God! Give us a heart like YOUR heart! Help us to LOVE… Help us to SEE… help us to feel the pain of the hurting and love them like you do. Forgive us for being numb, cold, distracted, and too busy.
Let us be responsive to your voice, your nudges, and the opportunities you place in our lives! Our lives are so short, and we desperately need your help to make every minute count!
“…being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 1:6
Finish the work you have begun in us. We may feel like a lost cause, but You are faithful. We trust and have hope that you will FINISH what you have started in each of us.
In Your Mighty Name I pray, AMEN!!
Join me in spreading the Love of our Savior to all who are desperate for His touch! Go, GIRLS!! Let’s LOVE, and then LOVE SOME MORE. We will never regret it.
OTHER RESOURCES & LINKS:
Just One Touch – https://gogirl.life/2022/12/19/just-one-touch/
