In John 3:8 Jesus is trying to explain to the Pharisee Nicodemus heavenly concepts such as being born again and the Holy Spirit. Our Lord gets seemingly frustrated that this teacher of the law does not grasp these concepts. So, He tries a more earthly concept…the wind. “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.”
I have always loved this explanation of how the Holy Spirit works in our life. We can not see the wind, but we can feel the effects of the wind. As we go about our daily mission here at Refuge, I am sure that the Lord gets frustrated with us too. We also forget to look for the effects of the wind and let the Holy Spirit move in the places that we cannot see or even reach.
I was reminded of this the other day as our office manager Kelbie told me a story of a client encounter she had recently. I knew that I wanted to share it with you so that God may get the glory!
Here is Kelbie’s account:
“On a day when we were very busy and short staffed, a client came in for a pregnancy test. We were fitting her in for an ultrasound. She agreed to wait for about an hour to get worked in. While she waited, I felt heavy hearted and worn down. She was considering abortion and seemed very likely to carry out her plan. I prayed that God would give me the words to say to her while she waited for her ultrasound. I was emotionally drained and did not feel that I had the right words. I did not know what else I could do to uplift her. As much as we hope to make an impact for life with each client: sometimes the truth is, we just don’t know if we did.
The ultrasound went well for my client. But when it was done, she still had the same feelings of shame and seemed still leaning toward an abortion.
When she left, I felt guilty. I prayed again and asked the Lord to forgive me.
We were so busy that day. I felt an overwhelming sense that I had failed her. At the time she was put in my care, I was feeling inconvenienced because of being short handed and very busy. But God has a funny way of slowing everything down for His purpose of right here and right now.
Several months later, this client came back to our office. She was almost nine months pregnant and came in to get some maternity clothes. She had made the decision to keep her baby! Praise the Lord!
This was another busy day where I was wearing many hats and putting out fires. As I hurried through the office, she saw me and recognized me as being the one that spoke with her months earlier. She stopped me, began to weep, hugged my neck, and thanked me. She told me the words I spoke to her made a huge impact in her life and ultimately in her decision to choose LIFE.
I am not boasting or taking credit for that decision in any way. Afterall, I asked God to forgive me for my shortcomings on the day we first met. The day that she came back for something as simple as some maternity clothes was a HUGE blessing to me. I was reminded to keep trusting the Lord.
You never know what seeds you are planting or how the Holy Spirit is working things for our good.” - Kelbie
Each day our staff and volunteers rely on the Holy Spirit to partner with us. We have good days, and we have bad days. But every day we show up because we love what we do. We give all the praise and glory to God. His spirit provides us with the tools, the words, and the strength to minister to our clients.
If you have ever considered getting more personally involved with the ministry of The Refuge Center, please step out in boldness, and allow the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords to use you. We do not help these families choose LIFE under our own power. We feel the effects of the wind every day!
