CINDY TRANE CHRISTESON -- The Moral of the Story

“Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones

surround us every day.”

-- Sally Koch

Sometimes I sense a gentle nudge from God encouraging me to do

something for someone else. It may be as simple as complementing a woman

in the elevator about her well-behaved son or calling someone I haven’t

seen for a while.

When I follow through on those gentle proddings, I am always happy

that I did. When I complemented the mother, she smiled, and so did her

son.

“Thank you for saying that,” the mother said. “Your timing couldn’t

have been better. I was just telling him in the car how important good

manners are.”

And if someone keeps coming to my mind, I think it’s a signal for me

to call them. I did that recently and again was thankful.

“I was feeling very down and prayed that God would encourage me

somehow today,” my friend said. “He did it through you. Thank you.”

I’m glad when I follow that inner voice, but sad about the number of

times I’ve tuned it out.

I’m glad I listened to an inner nudge last fall. My husband, Jon, and

I drove north to visit our college daughters. We took a side trip on the

way up and spent the night in Fresno.

As we pulled into the hotel that night in the dark, I noticed two

girls about the age of our daughters standing by the little hotel pool. I

wondered if they were with a school team that was competing in town. I

was curious, but then we needed to check in and unload.

I thought about them several times that night. I still couldn’t get

them out of mind the next morning. As we headed down to the continental

breakfast, I asked God to show me if He wanted me to do something.

Jon and I sat down just as the two girls walked in. I watched them,

trying not to stare. One of them was waiting for her bagel to toast. She

wore a T-shirt much like ones our daughters wore on short-term mission

trips to Mexicali.

I kept wondering, thinking, praying and wondering, and then I couldn’t

stand it anymore. I walked over to her and asked, “Did you ever go to

Mexicali?”

She turned to answer.

“No, I’ve never been to Mexicali. Is it in Mexico?”

I felt like sinking back into my seat, but then she rescued me.

“I got this shirt when I worked in an inner-city program.”

The ice was broken and we started talking. Then her friend joined in.

Both girls had recently graduated from college and were celebrating by

taking a trip.

One girl was from Montana and the other was from the East Coast, so I

asked how they ended up in Fresno. They both looked at each other and

smiled.

“It’s a long story,” one of them said. “We’re actually on a bike

trip.”

At that point, Jon joined the conversation.

At this point, I’m out of space.

I’ll meet you back here next week. But for time being, if you sense

that God is directing you toward someone, try to follow His directions.

And you can quote me on that.

* CINDY TRANE CHRISTESON is a Newport Beach resident who speaks

frequently to parenting groups. She may be reached via e-mail at o7

[email protected] or through the mail at P.O. Box 6140-No. 505,

Newport Beach, CA 92658.