“My husband has been out of town for work this past week. When he travels, he typically is only gone for a day or two, but this time it was a few days longer. He was set to come home last night, but as he boarded the plane his flight was announced canceled due to being understaffed. He learned very quickly Memphis is struggling due to high crime rate. He was not able to get an Uber or taxi at 4:30 a.m. to get to the airport for his flight due to workers being fearful of their lives. When I told my kids dad was not going to be home that night, they were both upset, but excited they were going to be able to snuggle with momma in his spot in bed that night.
My husband is the head coach of my 5-year old’s t-ball team. They had a game the next morning and my husband was trying so badly to make it home in time. The thought of possibly missing our son’s game really crushed him. He wanted to be there because this is their thing and he didn’t want to let him or the other boys down.
A young man by the name of Asher, who bartended at the hotel my husband stayed at, over heard my husband’s dilemma. He realized he was not able to get transportation to the airport. This young man offered to wake up and get my husband to the airport at 4:30 a.m. My husband was in shock a complete stranger would offer to do such a big act of kindness. When he called me to tell me the possible ride, he was so hopeful. This young man honored his word and brought my husband to the airport safely.
I didn’t want to get my son’s hopes up, so I told him, ‘Dad is trying to get home for your game but we just need to pray to make sure he does.’ So, we did just that. We said a prayer before bed and on the way to the baseball field. Both my kids looked up in the sky the entire ride to the field and pointed out planes in the sky saying, ‘Maybe that’s dad’s plane.’
As we pulled up to the baseball field, we were running a few minutes behind. The entire morning, I was keeping in touch with my husband to check on his status, but was unsure if he had made it to the field yet. Running a few minutes behind, I told my son to run ahead to get with his team. As I turned the corner, I saw my husband and son walking towards me. I was so excited he made it.
As I walked closer to them, I noticed a sad look on my son’s face. I asked him what was wrong and he immediately started to cry. He said, ‘I am so excited dad made it here.’ He hugged my husband so tight for what it felt like an eternity. Everyone at the ballfield could feel this little boy’s emotions. We all started to tear up knowing this meant the world to him. It meant the world to us. It was such a special moment I know we will all remember forever. Our family is beyond grateful for Asher.
I want to thank you, Asher, from the bottom of my family and my heart, because you made this possible. The emotions that flooded the ballfield, as a little boy got to have his dad coach him, brought tears to everyone who witnessed. Keep shining so bright Asher and keep being you. Our world needs more people like you to shine their light. To show the world not all people are bad or out to get you. Through God’s grace, we can be kind to complete strangers and love one another as ourselves. Your act of kindness touched more people than you can ever imagine.
After reaching out to Asher ,he told us this was not his work that he could take credit for. It was the work of God working through him. He heard God speak to him. Here is his version of the story. Our prayers were truly answered.
‘Matthew 5:16 ‘In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.’
Bartending is not always the most glamorous or fulfilling job, so when I started doing it 2 years ago, I knew I wanted to give the job a meaning, a purpose. I wanted to be a light to everyone who came and sat at the bar, and I wanted to show people I don’t care who they are, what they’ve done, what they’re going through, etc., I’m just gonna do my best to show them love. So when I heard about Robert’s predicament, this Scripture immediately started echoing in my head, and the decision to help him and his family was easy! It makes me happy knowing I was able to bring some joy to the Larson family, but honestly it wasn’t me…it was God just working through me. Always be a light, no matter how dark it gets.'”
This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Sarah Larson. You can follow her journey on Facebook, Instagram, and her website. Submit your own story here, and be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories, and YouTube for our best videos.
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