Good morning…
A friend coined a new phrase for me yesterday, an important phrase for all of us to consider.
As my cell phone rang, I saw her name pop up. I picked up immediately, no thought, just response. Her familiar, sweet voice was upset, unsettled. “Do you have a quick minute for an emergency?”
“I have a long minute for anything you need,” the words instinctively melted from my tongue like butter.
We talked on the phone. Later we talked again. Prayers were lifted. Support was shared. The Holy Spirit in her and the Holy Spirit in me had crucial conversations in a time of extreme crisis. As we neared the end of our last phone call, she said, “Thank you so much. You are my ‘911 person’.”
We all need a “911 person” or two. The person we call first in an emergency. The person we trust to immediately pick up, no thought, just response. The person who hears “upset and unsettled” in our familiar, sweet voice and instinctively discerns the words to help melt-like-butter our anxious heart. Prayers. Support. Crucial conversations during crisis. The Holy Spirit in us and the Holy Spirit in them speak the same loving language.
It strikes me, we do not volunteer to be a “911 person.” Over the course of life, the honor is sparingly bestowed. We do not choose ahead of time our short list of “911 people.” As we journey through life, they are discovered. Each “911 person” is handpicked by God, for such a time as this, at our moment of deepest need.
With each “911 person,” over the phone or huddled in a hug, for a short minute or over long hours, from miles away or curled up on our couch, we sense soul-to-soul, “…what a relief to see your friendly smile. It is like seeing the face of God!” (Genesis 33:10, NLT).
…Sue…
