On a warm summer's evenin' on a train bound for nowhere I met up with the gambler.............
I have never met the man, yet he has shown me more caring and compassion than every single church - or anyone who calls themselves a brother or sister in Christ. I call him The Gambler.
Up until 2009 I would have probably tried to convince a gambler that he or she should "trust God" even though the same person may profess Christ.
I didn't believe in gambling and would have probably thrown in a few scriptures to strengthen my argument, even though scripture actually say's nothing about the subject with any clarity .
Then out of sheer desperation I allowed my employer to buy me lottery tickets every week, but I paid no mind to them. Soon I was paying mind to them - and each week I was growing more and more frustrated that people were winning - but it wasn't ME.
Getting money out of Robert Huckins is tantamount to getting the devil to sing Amazing Grace, and one evening as my impatience grew waiting for the JULY payment I found myself clutching a handful of lottery tickets in desperate fervent prayer.
No longer was I asking the Lord for a small home, a comfortable home, no more and no less than Robert Huckins seems to have been protected from losing. I wanted something GRAND. I wanted a miracle so big it would show me without a doubt that God is listening to me and if only ONE cares about a homeless woman it was HE who led the children of Israel to the Promised Land.
The more I prayed, the more tightly I held those lottery tickets, and the more my prayers turned to begging. Repetitious begging.
The monsoon rains had flooded the shed I am living in, and in turn flooded the septic system attached to the house. With mold growing right through the walls of the shed and sewage water soaking the floor I felt sure that God would deliver me from this nightmare by miraculous intervention.
Imagine my feelings when the numbers were called and instead of confetti and champagne, relief that this ordeal is over at last, I found that someone had indeed won - but it wasn't ME.
Disheartened, seriously questioning my own worth, I fell into a fitful asleep rehearsing - in my dreams - all the ways I could end this pain.
The next morning I tried to use the computer, but with all of the electrical wires in the shed being soaked in water for the past 2-3 weeks I could not stay on-line and sheer panic set in. It took me four hours to e-mail one person... and that was The Gambler.
Then I forgot about the e-mail, and forgot about the Gambler.
Yet he didn't forget about me.... and neither did he give me the normal platitudes I have heard a million times in the past three years. He simply said, "No need to sigh, help has arrived."
It wasn't the lottery. But it felt like it.
It wasn't wrapped in scripture, yet God was right there in the center.
It isn't going to give me that GRAND home I had been imploring our Creator to provide for me the night prior.
But God knows our hearts desire no matter what foolishness our lips may utter.
It was enough to purchase an ancient 12x80 single wide trailer that has seen better days but can, God willing, see brighter days ahead, and afford the cost of transporting it into Lincoln County. And put in a new floor, and sheet rock, prayerfully do more improvements before winter comes. Not a permanent solution, but a great temporary solution which can later be made into a tack room with shower/kitchen.
It was more than enough for God to answer the question I had laid before Him the night before when I questioned His love for me.
And it was more than enough for me to have hope - such a priceless gift.
And tonight I thank God for ... The Gambler.
Hebrews 13:1-2
- "Let brotherly love continue.
- Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares".
- "And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me".
