The Hatchet caught me off guard. I wasn’t expecting it.
I met “R” during Street Outreach. She had everything she owned drawn in close beside her as she sat on the ground outside of a convenience store. She was very guarded. My friend handed her a rose, and we introduced ourselves and asked her for her name, telling her that we just wanted her to know that God loves her. And if she wanted us to, we could help her. She didn’t respond.
As the Holy Spirit prompted, we didn’t give up and shared with her a little bit about why we were there. Then she shared her name and in quick succession more of her story. Then the hatchet. She pulled it out of a bag she was keeping very close. The hatchet caught me off guard. I was not expecting it. As she showed it to us, she explained that she had had a very difficult time on the streets and that she was afraid. The hatchet was what she intended to use to protect herself.
My heart broke.
My heart broke because I know what it is like to be afraid. Moreover, I know what it is like to have debilitating fear and seek things of the world to try and take the fear away only to have those things fail me. My heart broke because I wanted so badly for “R” to see that God had sent us there that day at that moment to help her see Jesus whose perfect love casts out all of our fear.
Later that evening as I was reflecting on my encounter with “R” and praying for her safety I was reminded again how often we try to protect ourselves. So often, in the face of fear, we pick up man-made weapons that have no real power to protect.
Then I remembered some beautiful words from scripture:
“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs to it and is safe.”
Proverbs 18:10
Let the Lord be your strong tower, put down your man-made weapons and trust Him to protect you. Pray for “R” to do the same!
Submitted by Kari Clark, Outreach Director
