I went this past weekend with some girlfriends to Savannah for their annual St. Patrick's Day Festival. Savannah is serious about this holiday! They have a 4 day street festival that lasts all day and night for the entire time. There are tons of people, music, food, parades and lots and lots of green.
I was excited to spend some quality time with my girlfriends, eat some good oysters and have a few drinks while we danced and hung out with a few thousand of our closest friends. These kinds of events are always good for people watching and we always meet a few characters, but I never expected to have a life changing spiritual moment in the midst of a huge party.
We met this group of friends and ran into them a few times during the evening. At one point, I noticed that one of the guys, let's call him Jay, was sitting and crying. His wife was a little upset with the whole situation. I didn't blame her. They were out to have a good time and her hubby is in the middle of this huge crowd having break down.
I sat down to talk with him. Come to find out, he is active duty military and has been on 11 deployments. Yes, that is right, 11, it's not a typo. I can't even imagine what he has seen and experienced in 11 deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. Certainly more than the human mind can process and still function on it's own. I asked him if he knew that he had PTSD and he said he did, but didn't know what to do about it.
I was able to share with him my personal experiences from my past and from my father's extraordinary walk and healing through PTSD. I encouraged him to go to the VA and get help. I talked to his wife and encouraged her.
The Holy Spirit gave me the words. He guided the questions that I asked and the advise that I gave. He even gave me a few things that were very specific to Jay and his journey. Things I didn't know, but God did. When I told Jay that, "God is telling me to tell you...(I won't give you the details, these words were for Jay)" after those words, Jay looked me in the eye for the first time stood up, gave me a long bear hug and said, "God sent you to tell me this." In that moment I knew God was using me in an ordinary way for His extraordinary work. God knew that Jay needed to know that God loves him and would go to great distances to tell him so.
It is amazing how God finds us and who he decides to use, when He decides to use you and where He decides to use you. I never would have expected for God to show up in the middle of a street party in Savannah, GA. We were not there for a Christian revival or women's retreat. Honestly, I wasn't expecting a spiritual experience. Jay certainly wasn't expecting to find the depth and breadth of God's love at 2 a.m. after a night full of drinking and partying. Yet, that is what God chose to do, and it is where God showed up.
It was a very ordinary setting with extraordinary results for the Kingdom, for me, for Jay and his family. I am praying that Jay will get the help he needs to process and heal from the trauma he has experienced. I pray for all those who see and experience war. I hope you will pray too.
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