The first time that I saw her, she lay motionless in her hospital bed and had been wheeled in to our religious service. She was about 35 years old and seemed out of place in this nursing home of aged seniors. Her thick, dark hair was clean and combed back into a tight ponytail at the back of her head and her twisted, tiny body was curled into a fetal position. Her eyes were not dead, though. Her eyes understood.

That day, I stopped by her bedside and I told her that I knew that she was frustrated, but that she needed to fight and work to improve. I prayed for her on that day and moved on.

The second time, she still was motionless in her bed. The nurses had placed her next to a woman who had been a pentecostal preacher. The preacher lady was having trouble with tremors and so I prayed with her for peace and her tremors ceased somewhat. Then, the preacher lady motioned to the young woman and she told me, “She needs prayer.” So, I moved over to the young woman and told her quietly to hold onto Jesus and that he would be close to her inside of her heart. I told her that God would minister to her through her spirit. I prayed with the two of them, holding both their hadns and then moved on.

Yesterday, she was still in her hospital bed when they wheeled her in. It was midway through the service and we were in the middle of a song, but I saw her being brought in. I was surprised, however, when I realized that her gnarled and misformed hands were lifting up into the air. She seemed to be responding to the music for the first time.

Afterward, I stood over her as I had twice before and I told her that there were ways to communicate that went beyond words, that the spirit could communicate when words weren’t available. I told her that she had improved and that I was happy to see her improvement.

Then I heard it. It was a kind of gutteral sound coming from her, and she was struggling to speak. Her eyes were ardent and her tongue was moving inside her mouth. She reached up toward me with her hands as if she wanted to embrace me, and I took both her bony, twisted hands and held them with care and love. I told her that I understood. I talked to her for quite a while.

I want to tell you what a privilege it is for me to be able to have an opportunity to do this ministry. I don’t take it for granted and so I put every ounce of my heart into it and do what I believe God is asking me to do. I share this, not because I want you to think how great I am, but because I want you to understand that God is capable of doing great things if we allow Him the freedom to work in our lives.

They don’t always start as great things. Sometimes, they start as a stray thought or a passing idea, but when acted upon, they become something amazing. Great ideas without action are only ideas.

You’ve been thinking about doing something for a long time, whether it’s serving the homeless or visiting the sick. Whatever it is, don’t leave it in your head. Take action. Do something. I absolutely promise you that you will never regret it.