"The least of these"

I was sitting with some friends at McDonalds yesterday sharing with them about my experience the night before at my friend, Sherry Galloway's, gymnastic meet.  This friend, Sherry, is so special to me. She has been my friend for probably at least 9 years now. She is my age, but because of her mental impairment I more often  than not take more the role of "mom"  with her. Throughout the years, I've taken her grocery shopping, driven her places, provided food and meals for her and have just been there to love on her. She, and her cat "Baby Bob" who has different clothes on every time I see him & whose birthday parties I try to attend,  are a source of delight for me. Well, Monday night of this week my girls and I headed over to WMU to support our special friend. I have often felt like I'm the only one Sherry has to help her, but again and again I am shown this is absolutely not true. As the girls and I headed up in the elevator with some
other people, I asked who they were coming to see. "Sherry Galloway," was their  answer. I couldn't help but smile and together we shared our joy in how we've come to know her. Upon entering the meet I sat down where the greeters directed me to go. I began chatting with the woman next to me and asked her who she was here to see. I shouldn't have been surprised when she answered, "Sherry Galloway." At the end of the meet, it became clear that us three "groups" of people were not the only ones there to support Sherry. That was just one of the many things that blessed me that night. I was also blessed by the encouragement that was given among the "special olympic's" teamates. They would yell and scream for each person who got up to do their event. After each person's moment of glory had ended, no matter how well or poor they did, they would run through a line high fiving and hugging each other. When the awards were handed out in the end, it
didn't matter whether they got first or sixth place, they were all elated with their ribbons and showed their joy in the most uninhibited way. I left there that evening believing deep in my heart that somehow that was a taste of heaven.  The love and joy that was in that place was beautiful.   So, I had just finished sharing some of these thoughts with my friends and encouraged them to, if they ever had the opportunity, to engage in a friendship/ relationship with someone who is mentally impaired. I simply shared they are a tremendous source of blessing.  Probably not five minutes after that, Mike, my mentally impaired buddy who works at Mcdonalds on Stadium  Dr. and who I've seen and chatted with every Tuesday morning for this past year,  approached me. Out of nowhere, Mike says to me in the presence of my friends sitting there, "You can use my 50% McDonalds discount when you come in here. I can pick one person to share it with."
Understand that I have been in there almost EVERY Tuesday morning and he has NEVER offered this to me. But just minutes after I had encouraged my friends to become involved with mentally impaired people because they will be blessed, this mentally impaired friend of mine offers me his 50% off discount showing that what I am speaking of is TRUE.

God's words says,

" WHATEVER YOU DID FOR ONE OF THE LEAST OF THESE BROTHERS OF MINE, YOU DID FOR ME." MATTHEW 25:40

Was that God, confirming what I had just shared with my friends? Did God move through Mike, prompting him to bless me like that as if to say from God, "Do this! Love all my people, especially the "least of these" because I love them soooooo much and when you are kind to them you are kind to ME." I believe it! May you love the "least of these" today and every day and may you be blessed! Kristy Link
 "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26