INSPIRATIONAL THOUGHT FOR FRIDAY 9/18/26

PAULA – A UNIQUE PERSON

By Marcella S. Meeks

     “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby, some have entertained angels unawares.” Hebrews 13:2

     Several years ago, before I retired from my newspaper business, I needed some part-time help for a few weeks so I placed an ad in my newspaper. A few days later, a lady called. She was interested in the position.

     When she showed up at my office the next morning, I was a little shocked at her appearance and the first thought that came to mind was ‘no way was I hiring this woman.’ She introduced herself and said she was a tattoo artist by trade but had some free time on her hands, and needed a little extra money.

     Free time wasn’t all she had. She had tattoos all over her body from her eyebrows to the tips of her toes. Her hair was died bleach blonde.

     Her jeans were torn at the knees and she wore a tank top. She looked – let’s just say her appearance was unique. Who would come to a job interview looking like that?

     She was friendly and had a nice personality and after listening to her talk a few minutes, I realized that I really like this girl in spite of how she looked.

     But hiring her was a different issue. What would my customers think? How would they respond to someone like this coming into their place of business? Besides that, I am the wife of a minister. How would he feel and how would my church family feel?

     She looked at me and said, “I work hard, I learn fast and I am honest. I love people and they love me. Please give me a chance.”

     She was sincere so I decided to give it a shot, against my so called better judgment.

     After a few days on the job, I realized I had made the right choice. Not only was she a good worker but everyone loved her and bragged on how well she did her job. And she started to grow on me like a daughter/mother bond. And I had a burden on my heart for Paula.

     In spite of her appearance that first day, and how she dressed and all the tattoos she had on her body, she was one of the sweetest ladies I had ever met. She treated me like I was royalty and made me feel honored to be her boss. Even my minister husband liked her. Our relationship turned to friendship although we were like night and day. We had absolutely nothing in common but a God-given bond that seemed to form over night.

     After her job ended several weeks later, Paula moved away but she called me from time to time and let me know how she was doing. The last time she called, she told me some shocking news that upset me really bad and all I could do was cry and pray for her afterward. I still do until this day. She informed me that she had AIDS from a dirty needle and she was very ill.

     God let us cross paths for a short period of time and I am thankful to have had the opportunity to help her in some small way. I don’t know what her plans for salvation are these days because we rarely talk anymore, but she will always be in my heart.

     She inspired me in a lot of ways because she was very talented in a unique way. And she was different.

     I’ve often thought about how we are all so different. God made each of us in a special and unique way.

     Paula may not be an angel but she was a stranger who came into my life one day and showed me it was okay to be different and unique.

     Be kind to strangers no matter how strange they seem to you. You never know when it might be an angel you’re entertaining.

     Pray for everyone you meet. In Jesus name I pray, Amen