Day 7-- The Body of Christ

Tonight I was struggling to find some inspiration about to write about, but a story came to my mind from back this summer and fall that I kept meaning to write down but I never did.
There was an older gentleman named Sam that I met this summer at the hospital. Every Sunday afternoon without fail he was walking around the hospital looking for people to talk to and pray with. He was always looking for an opportunity to share the gospel with someone in need. One afternoon we were pretty slow so I got an opportunity to talk to Sam for quite awhile. He told me how he had been asked to leave before because he might bother people trying to witness to them, but Sam's response was, "I still come every Sunday. I'm not trying to bother people, so I just come and walk around quietly and pray that God will show me the ones I need to talk to." I couldn't help but be amazed at his quiet obedience to God to continue spreading the gospel to those that needed to hear.
Sam shared with me the story of how he and his wife met and how they were high school sweethearts. They got married and spent over 60 years together before the Lord took her home. He told me about how he was by her side when she died and how peaceful she was about going home. He told me how he still loved her so very much and missed her every day. I once again was amazed by this man and the beautiful love he had for his wife. That's the kind of fairy tale love you don't see very much anymore.
On several different occasions when Sam would see me across the hall he would make it a point to come over and pray with me for just a few minutes. I don't think he will ever know how much God used him to encourage me and bless my heart. Through all of my interaction with Sam I was reminded of how God gives us a bond with other believers. It was neat to see in such a tangible way that God does very much use the church, the body of Christ, to help lift us up.
I haven't seen Sam in a few months now and I may never know what became of him or see him again this side of heaven, but I am very thankful that God used him in my life to both encourage me and teach me a lesson.