“HI!!!! My name is Lyn!
I need LOTS of help!
I want to be a nice
stranger!”
Last month I was traveling for Young Life and we went out
for dinner to a barbeque joint with our divisional trainers in Denver, CO. We sat and I excused myself to the
bathroom. Immediately when I entered the
bathroom I heard some grunts and guffaws going on. I entered a stall and heard in a loud,
frustrated and anxious voice, “I need help!”
I gave it a few seconds and then asked how I could help.
I won’t go into the details but the young woman in the stall
next to me did indeed need help. I began
handing her certain items under her stall and as I kept repeating this she very
clearly described the scene and I could tell that there was something unique
about her by the vocabulary she used, how she spoke and the need for me to keep
explaining the boundaries that “should” be there when a stranger is helping you
in a bathroom.
When things were in a “tidier” place, she burst out of her
stall and stuck her hand out to shake my hand.
Immediately I reminded her we needed to wash our hands “real good”
before we shook hands. After we washed a
few times she quickly stuck her hand out again and said, “Hi! My name is Marni and I need LOTS of help!! You are a nice stranger!! She disarmed me with a mere 16 words.
“Hi!!!!” With much, much enthusiasm! We had not even
seen each other yet, in fact we had been through a rather messy situation and I
am not sure she was as excited to meet me as she was excited to finally bust
out of that stall but seriously- I would be such humble pie if I was her and
yet her eyes danced she was genuinely excited to meet me. Heart melts.
“My name is Marni and
I need LOTS of help!” This literally
made me want to hug her because honestly….I need lots of help too! It was like we were kindred spirits
immediately. How in the world do you not
want everyone you meet to be that vulnerable?
What would it look like if we introduced our selves that way to every
one? What crap would we literally cut
right through in our very soul if we started out introductions that way? What would it be like if we addressed our God
that way? Is this what freedom in Christ
is- simply naming it and moving forward with Him and others? What a gift like none other!
“You are a nice
stranger.” Seriously, Marni’s
enthusiasm clearly indicated that a “nice stranger” was a rare thing in her
life. Is it really that hard to be
nice? Do I make the time to be nice to
strangers throughout my day? Who’s a
stranger exactly?
“It is absolutely
clear that God has called you to a free life… use your freedom as an excuse to
serve one another in love: that’s how freedom grows.” Galatians 5:13-15
Marni’s vulnerability allowed me to serve her in love and in
turn my freedom grew. She gave me such wonderfully messy permission to live
free in that bathroom! I can’t tell you
how often her 16 words have passed through my head since we met. Last week I was in Colorado Springs at Senior
Leader Training with Young Life. I met
so many new people and so many times in my head throughout the introductions I
wanted to enthusiastically burst “Hi!!!!
My name is Lyn! I need LOTS of
help! I want to be a nice stranger.”
But…I didn’t… probably should have because I have lots of
friends and strangers in my life that could use the freedom in Christ
transparency that Marni modeled to me.
It feels so good to admit I need help, and it feels so good to be nice
even if we are strangers. Thanks Marni
where ever you are!
Be a nice stranger this week!
