Obedience

I heard this story at a Bible study and cannot get it out of my head, so I must share it here. Hopefully I'll get all the details right:

Beth was at an airport waiting for her flight, studying God's Word, when she noticed all the people in front of her staring at something behind here. She waited for an opportune moment to turn and stare, and she found that the object of everyone's attention was actually a frail, peculiar-looking very old man with hair down to the middle of his back, all hunched over in a wheelchair. Immediately God told her to go over to him, and of course she argued that she was busy, studying His Word, and told Him to put the man on her flight and then she'll witness to him. God wouldn't let up and said, "Oh no, I don't want you to witness to him. I want you to brush his hair." !!!! So finally Beth was obedient and went over to the man and asked him if she could brush his hair. "Well, darlin', if you really want to," he said. He let her get his brush out of his bag (because she didn't have one! ha) and she began to brush his tangled, messy, matted, but clean, hair. Once she got all the tangles out and got it looking beautiful, she knelt before him and asked, "Sir, do you know Jesus?" "I sure do," he said. "Of course you do," Beth thought. The man continued, "I've known Him Ever since I married my bride for she wouldn't marry me until I knew my Savior. I haven't seen my bride in two months because I had to go have open heart surgery and she's been too ill to visit me. I'm headed home to her and I was just thinking to myself, 'How can I see my bride looking like this? I'm such a mess.'" And that's when God sent Beth to brush this man's hair.

Doesn't that just make fall head over heels in love with Jesus? God loves us. And He meets us exactly where we are with exactly what we need.
This story also makes me think of all those "little" moments where we hear that still, small Voice telling us to do something - sometimes something as crazy as ask a little old stranger if you could brush his hair... and how often we do or don't obey that Voice. It makes me think about all the times when people in my life have obeyed His Voice and how different my life would be had they not listened. For instance, if my parents hadn't listened to Him, I wouldn't be a Christian. If my Amanda B. hadn't called me the afternoon after a bad break-up, I wouldn't have been encouraged and heard how much Jesus loves me. If Mona hadn't listened, I'd still be wandering in some desert. If those 20+ people who gave towards the Ghana trip hadn't given, I wouldn't have gone to Ghana. There are countless more stories just like that throughout my life. The impact of one person's act of obedience can impact eternity. May we all be mindful and discerning when it comes to His Voice and may He give us the boldness to act out in obedience.

"'You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.'...." Exodus 19:4-6a