Some days I am downright discouraged. Tired, overwhelmed and cranky. Days when I’m not even happy hanging out with myself. Yesterday was one of those days.

I admit this to Papa this morning, as if He didn’t know already, and ask Him if we could do a ‘do over’. Would He forgive me, encourage and bless me in some way today? He is most gracious, forgives, envelopes me with His Love, dusts me off and sends me out for yet another day’s assignment.

Ready for the shift? I’m sitting at our board table a few hours later when I hear the front door open. No-one is manning the front desk so I step into our reception area and encounter one of our street friends, who is having a day just like mine was yesterday.

“How you doing?” I ask gently. With tears welling up in his eyes, he responds, “I’m having a really bad day. I feel like no-one cares and everyone has abandoned me.” My heart breaks. This is a familiar feeling. I remain silent and listen. He continues, “I was walking past your NightShift door and thought if I could just come in and sit for a second, I could have a cry and no-one would see me.”

Sigh.

I invite him to sit with me. I have nothing to offer other than my listening ear. My heart understands. As he readies to leave, I reach for his hands and together we bow our heads in prayer. I ask Papa to comfort him, surround him with Love, to encourage and bless him. I ask Him for a Papa kiss!

I return to my desk and lose myself in the busyness of my morning. Two hours later, my friend reappears.

“Nothing like this has ever happened to me in my whole life! God heard me. He cares!”

He explains that after our prayer together, he walked up the road and ventured into the BC Lions training field, where the team was practicing. As he leaned against the fence to watch, he spied Wally Buono, BC Lions General Manager, standing a short distance away. My friend is thrilled – apparently he’s a HUGE football fan and has been following Wally’s career over the years.

God nudged. Wally responded. Not only did Wally speak to my friend, he called over three of my friend’s favourite players off the field to meet him.

God cared. Wally cared! That’s a Papa kiss.

Papa answered a prayer this morning. He knew exactly what my friend needed. And He knew exactly what I needed.

Papa, thank you for the ‘shift’ – thank you for the ‘kiss’.

And Wally, thank you for caring!