Often people’s compassionate thoughts and sympathies towards us are often missed, or misunderstood; ideas are often poor ghosts and they just cannot make themselves felt.

"But sometimes they are made flesh; they breath upon us with warm breath, they touch us with soft responsive hands, they look at us with sad, sincere eyes, and speak to us in appealing tones; they are clothed in a living human soul, with all its conflicts, its faith, and its love. Then their presence is a power, then they shake us like a passion, and we are drawn after them by a gentle compulsion, as flame is drawn to flame."

This week I talked with a 26 yr. old young woman who has fought years of heroin addiction and I have been drawn to her. I believe it is the Holy Spirit but she has the look of a lost puppy, a shy and humble demeanor that begs for help without her saying a word. When she came to the corrections center her face was ashen with dark circles under her eyes, lacking nearly any bloom of youth. As I have befriended her over the last month she has been greedily responsive, and as she has shared candid details, my sympathies continue to grow. I left the center Monday night with such strong feelings of care and love for her that some of the emotions bordered on romance. All evening I thought of her and wished I could just sweep her away from all her sorrows and rescue her from the callings of addiction. The thoughts were so intense that it almost alarmed me and left me wondering if this was truly the work of the Holy Spirit or some carnal desire. Now I have felt this before but I can't recall  it ever being this strong. The next day the feelings were gone and I was left perplexed until I read the line from the above quote, " Then their presence is a power, then they shake us like a passion, and we are drawn after them by a gentle compulsion, as flame is drawn to flame." That embodies the emotions of that moment; and although they passed, I'm comforted knowing God was at work.