Last night I decided to ride along with my son, who works for a delivery service (delivering food and groceries) as a full-time gig. It works well for him, because if he has a day he's not feeling well, he doesn't have to work. Being a two-time cancer survivor at age nineteen takes a toll on the body, and some days he's not able to work a job like most. He has a weekly earnings goal, and he was short on deliveries this week, so I told him I'd drive if he would deliver.
I am so glad I did.
Because of his struggles, he's not a typical nineteen year old. He may be unable to follow conversation for a long period of time. Everything he does is at half the speed of a normal person. Radiation does that to a brain. But, he is the kindest soul you'll ever meet. His faith is rock solid, and his heart is one of love for everyone around him. He literally drives around town with the heater on when he's delivering food to keep the food from getting cold. He's that thoughtful.
As we began to get food and grocery orders, I had a quick realization that, in our particular area, those who were placing orders weren't necessarily the wealthy. Quite the opposite. Orders were coming from those who were struggling, for whatever reason. Perhaps they couldn't leave their house and they depended upon delivery. Maybe they didn't have a car (which on our particular location, means you are unable to do much since nothing is within walking distance). Whatever the reason, I quickly realized his job was more than food and grocery delivery.
One of our orders was at a grocery store in a rough area of town. My son can often miss items on a shelf, so it takes a long time to do the grocery orders. For this order, he was trying to find cough drops and I was getting ready to walk over to help him. Instead, I watched a young man walk over to my son and help him find the cough drops. He wasn't an employee, just a customer.
After we were done shopping, we pulled up to a house that was a wreck. The lawn wasn't mowed and the neighborhood wasn't great. An old man waited for us on the porch. My son brought his groceries and talked with him for a little while. I watched the interaction between the two and as my son was leaving, the old man pulled $5 out of his pocket and gave it to him.
We went to pick up the next order, which was a pizza place. My son went inside and they clearly knew him and smiled when he walked in. He had to get three Sprites and two pizzas. His mind can hang up on certain things, and being able to carry three Sprites and two pizzas was going to be difficult for him to figure out. I began to get out of the car to help him. But, before I did, the man in the back of the pizza place came to the front register. He brought a bag for the Sprites and put the pizzas into my son's pizza bag for him. Then he opened the door for him.
I asked him if every day is like this for him.
"Yeah, pretty much." he said. "There's an older grandmother on the other side of town that I love talking to. She always orders strawberry yogurt and cat food. She has a bad hip. One time she tipped me $25. I also really love delivering to the juvenile prison. They're all so nice there."
After our delivery was complete, we got another order from the same pizza place. My son went inside, and I heard them say, "Welcome back!" and watched the same routine. They helped him pack his pizzas and opened the door and off we went.
It hit me that my son doesn't just deliver food and groceries, he has somehow created a ministry. He works in areas where people seem to need him, yet those same people also help him. Nearly everyone we delivered to was waiting for him on their front porch.
Isn't it interesting how God uses everyone for his glory in unique ways? The pace of my son's life allows him to slow down and pay attention to those who need him. He is not worried about rushing off to the next order, he's completely in the moment, making sure everyone in his life feels valued.
The amazing part is God doesn't use our perfection. He uses our weaknesses for His glory. Life wouldn't have slowed down for my son if it wasn't for the cancer. The Ukrainian families would not be my neighbors if it wasn't for my divorce. Our worst moments become a launchpad for His greatness.
He turns our messes into miracles.
Genesis 50:20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
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