What's In A Name?--OR--A Blessing To Be A Blessing

Good day to all!  Glad that I've been blessed to bring you another blog entry.  Speaking of blessings...
Me and my family were on the way back from Florida when I voiced a craving for Cracker Barrell (snickering).  Although the hubbie was tired from driving 6+ hours, he aquiesced.  Didn't want to be inconsiderate, so I decided to make it a to-go order.  After reading the menu and deciding what I wanted, I waited for the two servers consorting in front of me to finish up their business.  One looked over at me, turned back to the other server and said, "Can you take her order for me?"  I don't know, maybe she had more pressing things to do besides take my order (smirk).  Anyhow, the server, who I will refer to as Elizabeth, came over with a smile and took down the order of chicken & dumplings for me and the little one and a breakfast platter for the hubbie.  When I concluded, she asked for my name.  After telling her, she looked as if she'd seen a ghost.  Putting her pen and pad down very deliberately, she confided in me that earlier that morning she prayed to God for more faith in her life.  Her eyes began to well up with tears when she said "And here you are."  Elizabeth told me that she felt our encounter was God's sign that He would provide what she needed and that she didn't need to worry anymore.  The conversation led me to disclose with her how for many years I wrestled with my own faith.  And it was then that my eyes started to well up also, lol.  Despite it being my name, I didn't even understand the concept of having faith...not until I went through a struggle (that's funny, I struggled with my faith and found it through struggle; crazy!).  Upon leaving, Elizabeth and I hugged and nearly started crying again as we bid our farewells.  She said, "Thank you so much."  I replied, "No, thank you...because you've also been a blessing to me".

By the way, prior to this encounter I was reading a chapter in Joel Osteen's Your Best Life Now about learning how to seek opportunities to bless others.  It's so easy in this capitalistic, "I, me, mine"-driven society to turn inward and focus on our own wants and needs.  But we need to make the time to reach beyond ourselves and be a blessing to someone else.  It's a supernatural thing; sowing seeds in another person's life can cause growth in your own life.  It's like we're investing in ourselves without actually investing in ourselves.  Many people cannot fathom this concept.  And for those who can't, I would advise them to try it out because the experience itself will explain it all. 

Just as Elizabeth was looking for an increase in faith, I was looking for the chance to be a blessing...not because I was looking for something in return, but to give thanks for the onslaught of blessings I've been receiving lately.  As my prophytes use to say when I was in college, "To whom much is given, much is required."  Who would've known that my food craving would in turn satisfy someone's spiritual craving, not to mention my own?  All I have to say is, those chicken & dumplings were heaven sent!