Who's praying for you?

Ok, so I had the oddest thing happen to me this week. We had these 3 people come to the Eye Bank to film a video for us because we are trying to get a grant. Well, I hadn't really been too big a part of this film until the end of the day my boss says, "Hey Brandi come in here and watch this taping of these interviews, see if you have any ideas to throw in." So of course I oblige and join. I was introduced to the filmers casually from afar. Two of whom were a husband and wife duo. Now my first impression of the wife, we'll call her Anna, was "umm...interesting". Long bleach blonde hair, little too much make up for my taste, shirt a little tight for the chest area and way too much PDA for a couple working in a professional environment! And then a co-worker told me to check out the shoes. These things were like 100% what you would call stripper shoes! Tall, black, pointy, scary...lucky for her her pants were dragging the floor so you couldn't see them all the time. Ok so you get the picture...I was being a judgmental person forming way too many opinions before knowing a thing about this lady!

So as we are doing the filming we're all cutting up and making fun of whoever is getting interviewed,etc...I was making my usual witty Brandi remarks! (people at work think I'm funnier than most b/c i'm like the only young, single,non-boring girl in the office!) So i have no more interaction with this lady at all besides a few witty remarks as a group. The next morning they all come back by on their way home (kentucky) to say thanks and talk about the project.A co-worker comes to find me b/c wife and husband duo want a picture with me before they leave. (strange I think since I barely was a part of this project) Come to find out they are deeply religious and travel around the world sometimes singing and filming religious videos. Later the wife approaches me and says, "oh i was thinking and praying about you this morning and I have something for you" umm..interesting. So we say a group prayer for the project and say our goodbyes. As she comes to hug me she hands me a card. 

I open it and it's this precious card that has a little boy playing in the sand by the ocean...with Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to give you hope and a future." Inside the card she tells me not to neglect the precious gift God has given me and to soar above my adversaries life brings me. Saying that they are possibly the tools God is using to sharpen me and prepare me for something. Signing the card, your new friend Anna. I was deeply touched by this card, the verse and the words since I've been going through lots of life analyzing thoughts lately. I first felt overwhelming guilt that i kinda judged her before I even knew her and it just goes to say: You can't judge a book by it's cover. And I KNOW that and have learned that thousands of times in other situations and yet here I am doing it again. Once I got over being annoyed with myself I began to think how amazing God is. Here is this person who knows jack about me but has prayed all morning for me. It just makes you wonder who you can affect on a daily basis without even knowing it! And it's just adds it to the list of the amazing things God can do in your life! 

I think prayer is one of the most powerful tools God has given us!! So now i've been more concise about praying for others, especially those i don't know. I pray for the man I see on the way to work in the morning that has to walk over a mile to get to the bus stop. I pray for that family who has a flat tire on the side of the road. I pray for the lady at the parking deck meter. There's so many out there who need prayers! So today friends, I ask you why not pray for 5 new people you see that you don't know a thing about?! (sorry that was so long, it's a slow Friday!) 

P.S. I'm praying for you reading this! ;)