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I will never leave you, nor forsake you.
Hebrews 13:5 (KJV)

It felt strange to be sitting there, eating alone – in the same booth where my beloved and I had sat so many times, sharing a burger and a large order of fries and conversations about our daily lives.

One evening stood out in my memory. Upon arriving here, we saw what could gently be described as “a homeless man” standing by the door. His eyes were empty, his shoes didn’t match, his gloves had holes, and it was cold.

It was difficult to eat, knowing he was outside in the cold. The counter people said others had provided food and coffee. That knowledge eased our minds a bit until they mentioned how they had the food taken out to him to avoid having him come inside to eat.

The next morning my husband returned to the restaurant and insisted the man come inside to join him for a meal. The man resisted. “They don’t want me in there,” he said.

My husband opened the door and ushered the man inside, ignoring some strange looks, and whispered comments. “It’s ok,” he said. “you’re with me“.

That was my beloved. While others were willing to buy food for the man to eat outside in the cold, he brought him inside to the warmth.

We wanted to do more. Gathering gloves, a warm hat, a sweater, and a pair of shoes, we headed out to give the items to him, only to be disappointed. He was no longer there.

“He just moved on,” someone said. “You know how it is with the homeless.”

Over the next several days, through conversations with various business people and the local police, it appeared that he had really “disappeared”. He was there – and then simply gone.

We put the experience behind us, but thought of it often. It was getting colder, and we couldn’t forget those mismatched shoes and gloves with holes. My beloved drove around town looking for him; disappointed at not being able to give him the warmer clothing.

Then one morning, as I joined my husband for coffee at the kitchen table, I noticed he was quite distracted and a little shaken. With tears in his eyes, he described a dream he had about Heaven. He hadn’t died, just got to look in on heaven.

In front of him was the throne. God was on it with Jesus at His right hand. My husband could vaguely make out the figure at God’s left hand. Walking closer he recognized who it was—the homeless man!

Now, ten years later, I have come to see another purpose for God sending this man into our lives. God wants to remind me that I am not really alone.

As a widow I have many days of feeling outside in the cold and that feeling of “they don’t want me in there”. I no longer have what I had for twenty-five years—that blessing of my husband’s love and his unspoken words to me – “It’s ok, you’re with me”. And it was ok, because we were together – when the storms came, when hail damaged the roof, when finances were tight and especially when we had a burger and fries.

Being alone has not been easy; yet, I have come to realize Jesus has been speaking those same words to me every day. Jesus says “It’s ok, you’re with me. I am with you, right beside you – in those lonely times, in those places that are strange, in those places where tears come – and, yes, even when you have a burger and fries”.

Everyday Jesus makes the same promise to you as well, dear sister – “I will never leave you, or forsake you”. Jesus says to you – “It’s ok, you’re with ME”!

Father God, I thank You for all the years of love my beloved and I shared. I thank You for Your daily presence in my life and the lives of my sisters in sorrow. Please continue to walk with us and guide us as we go forward into the future You have planned for each of us. Amen