Who am I really? (Part 4 of 40)

In the spring of 2000, I went on a Math Science Center senior trip to Ocoee, TN. On the trip, we were a handful of students and our Chem and Bio teachers at the time. While there, we stayed in a cabin that had a decent kitchen, a dining room in which we could play Spades into the night, an excellent porch that overlooked the back woods, and sets of bunk beds in the upper bedroom. We split the cost of food, shopping at a local grocery store for ground meat and spaghetti, as well as salad. For whatever reason, I took it upon myself to make the spaghetti with D, a male classmate at the time. We prepared and cooked everything for the dinner. After dinner, we did the dishes, but I remember that something was wrong with the skillet that had been left in the cabin. It was difficult to get all of the grease spots off the burning surface. We decided to let it soak and then leave it for the morning.

The next morning, I was "up and at 'em," having finished my shower, cleaned the skillet, and already starting on breakfast preparations. An hour later, another classmate and I were doing the dishes when our Chemistry teacher said to me, "Monique, you're a Godsend."

I was startled by this statement, and I replied, "Why?"

He said, "You've got a lot of patience with those dishes, and you're always busy doing something for others."

Before that moment, I had never really thought about what or who a Godsend was. "You're a Godsend," is just one of those phrases that people nonchalantly say when someone agrees to a request that has been made or someone gets something that he or she has wanted for a long time, but has just been granted permission to have it. I couldn't understand why my teacher had made the comment, because I wasn't acquiescing to something others on the trip really wanted. I was just trying to be helpful.

In reflecting on this moment that occurred 11 years ago, I can begin to understand why my teacher had said those words. A Godsend is, truly, someone or something sent by God. This entity need not be limited to the concept of a borderline miracle (e.g., a 3000 Omani Rial bonus courtesy of a government leader). It can be in the form of a cool breeze on a sunny day in a park with minimal shade, a friend who takes the time time to genuinely and patiently listen to another friend, or a warm house in the middle of a hard winter. Regardless of the size or magnitude of a Godsend, whether we recognize a Godsend as a Godsend, the Lord showers us with them every day in our lives. I'm grateful for these gifts and honored to be an instrument of God when called upon to be a Godsend to others, even if it is getting grease off of an old skillet.