Seth's Heart

After speaking at a ladies gathering, I commented to one of the participants how lovely I thought her necklace was.  In a most generous gesture, she later gave me the necklace.  The moment I received her gift, I knew the Lord was telling me it wasn't mine to keep but to give away.

Ever since the exchange, I've been wondering - and waiting - for God to show me who the next recipient was to be.  On my way out the door to church yesterday, I knew I was to take the necklace with me.  I knew the Lord spoke to my heart saying "It belongs to someone you will meet today."  Learning to respond when the Holy Spirit speaks, I gathered the necklace that I had put in a box and shoved it into my purse.

During the praise and worship time, I kept wondering who the owner of this necklace was ... and I prayed for the Holy Spirit to show me.  After a few moments passed, I knew the woman in front of me - a women I never met - was supposed to have the necklace.

That's when the mental ping pong began: "Are you sure, God?" ...  "What if it's not her style?" ... "Will she think I'm weird?" My battle continued until the Pastor spoke.  His message centered on one word ... respond.  Respond when God speaks.  Respond to His leading.  I had my answer ... I was to respond and give her the necklace.

As I told her the story of how I received the necklace and how I knew the Lord was telling me to give it to her, she graciously accepted.  I then asked her - for my own piece of mind - if she would mind opening the gift to see if it held any significance.  When her eyes caught a glimpse of the silver shaped heart that was the centerpiece of the necklace, she smiled nostalgically and said that it did, in deed, have great significance.

She pulled out a black velvet pouch from her purse.  It wasn't large, just small enough to hold a glass heart ... about the size of a  paperweight.  She gently held the glass heart in her hand as if it were a newborn baby and told me that the white color inside the beautiful glass heart were her son's ashes.  His name was Seth.  He had died just 5 months ago.  He was 27 years old.  The fact that this necklace had - at it's center - a heart - meant the world to her.

God gave two women a gift yesterday.  One received a necklace.  The other a profound experience and lesson in responding.  Both may never be the same.

giving a heart and having mine changed,
christina