Veering the heart

Last weekend a friend told about visiting a nursing home.  For months she had driven past the campus and wondered about reading Scripture to residents.  Finally one day, she veered into the parking lot, parked the car, stepped out, walked across the front doorway of the nursing home, and quickly found herself greeted by the question, “Are you here to see somebody?”  Her reply: “I’m here to see anybody.”  She stated her case about reading the Bible, to which the staff member responded, “I know just the person.”  What ensued was a sweet encounter with a lady whose eyesight had diminished.  She requested Psalm 23 specifically and explained her difficulty in locating verses amongst all the pages.  My friend read verse to verse and noticed the lips of her new companion joining in.  And this new relationship continued for nearly a year, all set in motion by the Lord, who impacts our thinking and compels the heart.  This week I have delighted over and over in the simplicity of my friend’s words, “I’m here to see anybody.”  Her willingness to serve allowed an elderly lady to relive her joy of Scripture, even in turn blessing me all these days later.