Yesterday afternoon I was in Bispham, which for those of you who don’t know is literally next to Blackpool on the North West coast of England; in fact it merges with Blackpool so that the two are not really seen separately anymore.
Anyway, that’s not the point of the story. I was walking down the street eating a Twister lolly to try and cool down a bit when I saw a drunk staggering towards me. He was built like the side of a barn and had a can of cider clutched in his hand. Now I don’t know about you, but when I see what appears to be a belligerent drunk with large muscles weaving his way towards me I get a tad nervous.
The guy came right up to me and grabbed me by the hand and as he did so I noticed that there were tears in his eyes. He said, in a slightly slurred voice, “It’s my birthday today and I’ve just found out my mum has cervical cancer!”
What do you say in such a situation? It’s hard enough when you are preparing for a pastoral visit with somebody who has received bad news, but to be suddenly confronted with it from the mouth of a complete stranger is a different matter altogether….
I did the only thing I could. I said, “I’m so sorry to hear that. I don’t know if it means anything to you, but I’m a Christian and I’d like to pray for your ,mum if that’s OK.”
His reaction took me totally by surprise. He wrapped me in a big, slightly too tight, bear hug and thanked me profusely, tears running down his face. You’d have thought I’d offered him the cure for cancer so grateful did he seem.
The guy, whose name I never got, then went on his way before I had chance for further conversation. His mum’s name is Gladys. Please pray for her, for healing and comfort and please pray for the man I met. The prayer of a believing Christian is one of the most powerful things in the world and whilst we will never know the results of our prayers for Gladys and her son I believe that it will make a difference in both their lives.
No comments:
Post a Comment