It was an acute case of the heebie-jeebies. I’d been watched and followed, and it shook me to the core.
I spent the summer after my college freshmen year in ministry at Virginia Beach, Virginia with CRU (Campus Crusade for Christ). A mission at the beach—somebody had to do it. A young, crisp nineteen-year-old who wanted to make a difference in the world. Pursuing Christ with my whole heart and a passion to make Him known.
College students from across the U.S. and one from England completed training sessions to prepare us for evangelism. We shared the gospel on the boardwalk several nights a week with Saturdays devoted to ministry on the beach, suffering in sand and surf. Crowd-gathering events of volley-ball and slow-motion football provided opportunities to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ.
Instead of raising mission-trip fees, students secured weekday jobs to accommodate living expenses. Four of us (three girls and one guy) became gainfully employed at a McDonald’s close enough to our housing complex to walk to work. We traveled the boulevard during the wee hours of the morning before daybreak.
Deliberately Followed
But one dark morning brought an unexpected turn of events. Our male co-worker overslept and did not accompany us. As the three of us girls walked at breakneck speed, we passed a man loitering in a store-front a few blocks from the restaurant. We had seen him before and he had noticed us.
I never heard his footsteps. Without warning he grabbed me from behind and wrapped his arms around my chest. His chin pressed firmly into my neck as he murmured lewd words—his lips touching my ear.
In a split second, I imagined him dragging me into a nearby alley. God, please help me! I silently prayed.
Then, he released his grip and ran away. The girls with me appeared shell-shocked as they watched his shadow disappear past a streetlight and into the dark. I could not look back.
Frozen, my legs turned to rubber, barely able to carry me the rest of the way to McDonald’s…to safety. Breathless and terrified that he might still be lurking nearby or would come back for me.
Safe inside the doors at work, I called the married couple leading our beach project. After we filed a police report, I spent several hours lying on my bunk—tears streaming—begging the Lord to calm my spirit and thanking Him for protection from further harm.
The perpetrator knew our schedule, our every move. We traveled the same path at the same time each weekday. Three girls walking abandoned city streets without our male companion provided an auspicious moment.
Relentlessly Followed
Years later, I sense I’m relentlessly pursued once again. These two followers will not stop following me. They know the schedule I keep and the path I travel. This is an intentional pursuit from daybreak to nightfall and around the clock. After an investigation and reading the report on file, I’ve identified them:
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:6, ESV).
[bctt tweet=”God has assigned two followers to pursue His children. They know the schedule we keep and the path we travel. An intentional pursuit from daybreak to nightfall and around the clock. @FridayKaren #followed #WednesdayMotivation” username=”PatHolbrook”]
Goodness: Dictionary.com says it’s “the best part of anything.” God is the best part of anything. He’s the best part of life and the best part of me and you.
Goodness relentlessly follows us.
Mercy: translated by the NLT is “unfailing love.” It’s the compassion and kindness of God bringing forgiveness to mankind.
Mercy relentlessly follows us.
“The Lord is my Shepherd: I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1, ESV).
To ensure we will not want for the best part of life, the Great Shepherd has assigned Goodness and Mercy to pursue His sheep—chase after and follow—relentlessly. They stay on the heels of the sheep at all times and watch our every move.
The assignment duration? “All the days of my life.”
[bctt tweet=”To ensure we will not want for the best part of life, the Great Shepherd assigned two followers to pursue His sheep all the days of our life. Psalm 23. @FridayKaren #followed #followers #Wednesdaythoughts” username=”PatHolbrook”]
Goodness and Mercy Follow Us
Goodness and Mercy follow us all the days of our life.
We will never hear goodness and mercy’s footsteps, but we are confident of their presence, wrapping their arms around us and never releasing their grip. And we will never watch their shadows disappear into the dark.
Friend, you are relentlessly followed.
[bctt tweet=”People may follow us online and in life. But God promises to give His children two important #followers who relentlessly pursue us. Join @FridayKaren to discover their identity. Link up is open! Share your blog.” username=”PatHolbrook”]
What a terrifying experience that must have been for you, Karen!
Thankful for God’s relentless pursuit. I don’t believe I’d know Him otherwise. And I’m just as thankful that His goodness and mercy follows us. We couldn’t live a day without them!
Terrifying describes it well, Debbra. Yet, I’m also thankful for God’s pursuit of us. His love pursues us and never gives up chasing after us. And our faithful followers, goodness and mercy, pursue us daily. Debbra, you are relentlessly followed.
Two “followers” I’m most thankful for, too!
Karen,
What a scary and traumatic event. I think Goodness and Mercy were right there with you since the creep ran off. I love, also, how God’s love is described as furious. He will stop at nothing to pursue our hearts and the hearts of those we love. He gives us so many good companions when we are in Christ. I can’t imagine doing life any other way. Great post!
Blessings,
Bev xx
Hey Bev, that’s a great thought, Goodness and Mercy were following me too that morning. And the Lord’s love pursues our hearts relentlessly as well. Goodness, mercy, love and more so because He is our Shepherd, we shall not want. Thanks for commenting. Bev, you are relentlessly followed.
Karen, so grateful for God’s protection of you that day and every day since! God surely gives us traveling companions who never run off and leave us alone. Blessings!
Thanks, Joanne. Isn’t it such a comforting thought?! God’s protection, and how He assigned Goodness and Mercy to follow us all the days of our lives…so we will not want for the best parts of life. Him!
Relentlessly followed by goodness and mercy! What a great twist on a terrifying tale. Now I’m going to have the old hymn based on that verse singing in my brain this morning!
Sing away, Michele! “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow Michele all the days of her life, and she shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:6, ESV).
Oh Karen, I’m sorry for that experience in the street! What a vivid picture of being followed. Praise the Lord He so relentlessly sends His goodness and mercy to follow us!!
Bethany, thank you. We will never hear Goodness and Mercy’s footsteps, but we are confident of their presence, wrapping their arms around us and never releasing their grip. And we will never watch their shadows disappear into the dark. Hallelujah!
Friend, you are relentlessly followed.
I’m so glad the Lord rescued you from this scary attack, Karen. I’ve never thought about goodness and mercy as our companions in faith until now. Thank you for sharing the story and your insight into Scripture, friend.
Thank you, Sarah. I’m so grateful for the Lord’s rescue. That day and so many times in my life. And for His rescue spiritually…that we have redemption stories and the reason we can trust in the truths of Psalm 23. He is with us in the valley-experiences, anoints our head with oil, causes our cup to overflow, AND makes sure goodness and mercy pursue us EVERY day. Sarah, you are relentlessly followed.
Wow Karen! You took what was harrowing experience and turned into a redemptive truth. Thank you for this: “We will never hear goodness and mercy’s footsteps, but we are confident of their presence, wrapping their arms around us and never releasing their grip.”
Joy, I love how you said taking an harrowing experience and turning it into a redemptive truth. Yes! Thanks for your comment. I’m so glad while we never hear Goodness and Mercy’s footsteps, we are confident of their presence to be with us and never leave us.
Karen, what a terrifying experience. I love how you turned it into a powerful promise. Thank you.
And what a powerful promise, Debbie! To think and know that God has assigned Goodness and Mercy to pursue His children. How they know the schedule we keep and the path we travel. And how it’s an intentional pursuit from daybreak to nightfall and around the clock. Praise the Lord!
So glad your perpetrator ran off! What a scary time.
I often think about goodness and mercy following us around, everywhere we go, regardless of where we find ourselves. It’s such a comforting thought. Thanks for this.
Thank you, Lisa. I’m glad he ran off, too. And while I never saw him again nor walked to work without our male companion, It’s comforting to know goodness and mercy never run off or disappear from our lives.
What a horrific experience! Yet, I love the way God has used it to show you how He follows us and chases after us, for our benefit and His good pleasure. Thanks for sharing your story
The Lord did indeed use this story to show me a great truth, Debra. His goodness and mercy are always for our benifit and His good pleasure as you so beautifully said. In fact, goodness and mercy are not only something God does, but who He is. They cannot be seperated from His character.
Debra, you are relentlessly followed.
I have recently reconnected with this verse after finding a version (I can’t remember right now which one) that uses the word pursues instead of follows. I love the imagery of intentionality during a time when I needed to be reminded that God was kind to me. laurensparks.net
Hey Lauren, yes some translations use “pursues.” And I love the imagery as well. Friend, you are relentlessly pursued.
Goodness and mercy could well be angels on assignment, they are alway, I read of one lady attacked and all she could remember of Psalms 91 was feathers, she yelled it repeatedly and was let go. So glad you were protected.
Perhaps, Rebecca. But either way, glad to have them in our corner, following us, and God’s Psalm 91 covering and angels in charge of us as well. Rebecca, you are relentlessly followed.