Ugh. I don't like essays.

I reach over and grab my coffee, taking a large gulp of the warm, comforting drink. I love this place. Coffee House. That's the name of it. It's one of those small buildings squished between slightly bigger buildings in downtown. Not the most noticeable, but definitely the most welcoming.

Ever since I started college last year, I've come to this coffee shop at least twice a week. Whenever I have homework or some kind of essay due, this is where I'll be. The scent of fresh brewed coffee and the light background music draws me in and keeps me focused.

Back to my essay. Part one: favorite scripture verse. Hm. What's my favorite verse.. Oh yeah!

I pull my Bible out of my bag and flip to Romans. Where is it..? Ah-ha! Romans 5: 3-5. That'll do.

Part two: Tell about an instance in your life when this verse helped you through a situation.

That's a tough one.

A shriek pierces through the silence. I turn around and find a woman sitting on a black sofa with her head in her hands and a mess of coffee all over her laptop.

Awe, that poor thing. I've seen her here before. In fact, she's here as often as I am, if not more. She's quite lovely, at least I think so. Her shiny, black hair and coffee colored skin complement each other beautifully.

An employee rushes over with a few towels and offers to help clean. The woman takes the towels and cleans the mess herself .

Yikes. I wonder what's gotten into her. I've never seen her like this. She's always so upright and proper, but today she's a total mess. I hope she's alright..

I should focus on my essay. This thing is due tomorrow and I haven't written anything.

Go talk to her.

"What?" I say as I twist around in my seat. There's no one there. Weird.

Back to work. When has this verse ever come in handy..?

Go talk to her.

"Hm?" I turn around. Again, no one's there.

Okay, someone's messing with me. I swing my eyes around the room, searching for the culprit. It's a man, the voice is deep and, well.. manly. But the strange thing is, there's no men here.

Does that mean..?

As if on cue, I hear in my head clear as day: Go talk to her.

Yup. It's You. Wow. So, wait.. You want me to talk to her? But.. what would I say? I- I can't. I've never been good at talking to people, not even to my own friends. And now You're asking me to talk to a total stranger? Well, I guess she's not a total stranger.. but still. No. I don't think I can do it.

I jump as my phone beeps, the notification sound amplified louder than normal. I swipe up my phone and click on the text.

Daily Verse: Be strong and courageous. Don't be fearful or discouraged, because the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. -Joshua 1:9

You've got to be joking.

I peer over my shoulder, over at the woman mumbling to her computer, and sigh.

Fine, I'll go talk to her.

I slide off the stool and reluctantly step closer to the woman.

I don't wanna do this. I really don't wanna do this. Is it too late to back out?

"Hi." I say as I approach. She looks up at me, her face red and puffy, her eyes flooding with distraught. "My name is Ally."

"Carla." She says, her voice low.

"May I sit?"

"Uh- sure." She scoots over to one end of the couch, and I sit on the other. She stares at me with a face twisted in confusion.

Alright Lord, help me out. "I couldn't help but notice that you seem upset. Is everything alright?"

"Yes, everything's fine." She turns away, avoiding me by staring at her computer.

"Are you sure?"

She thinks for a moment, then takes a deep breath, "No, I'm not alright. Far from it."

"Would you like to talk about it?"

She glares at me with disturbed eyes.

"I promise I won't blab about it to anyone. I just want to help you."

She bites her lip, and tears form in her eyes. "I've made some poor choices." She says at length. "And because of those choices, my children were taken from me. I have two boys: Nathan and Noah, ages nine and seven, and my little girl: Naomi, age four. Those children are my life." A tear streaks down her face. "My husband left me when Naomi was born. I've had to raise them on my own. It's been tough."

She grabs a tissue and wipes her nose. "I'm afraid I will never see them again." She continues, her voice thick, "I cannot find any hope." At that, she bursts into tears. I lay a hand on her shoulder, attempting to comfort her.

Lord, please help me..

"I'm so sorry. I can't even begin to imagine.." I don't finish my sentence.

She sighs. "That's life I guess. Just a bunch of endless struggles. And for what?"

"Well.. there's this verse in the Bible that may answer that question, if you don't mind."

"Alright." She says, though not enthusiastically.

I hurry to the counter and snatch up my Bible, then sit back down by the woman. "It's found in Romans, and it says: 'Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.' There's always hope, even in the worst of situations. God will help you through it, and make you stronger along the way. So this suffering isn't pointless, but to make you grow."

The woman sits silent. I don't know what she may be thinking.

She nods her head, and a sad smile forms from her lips. "You know, I went to church as a young girl. I was so in love with it, but I seemed to have lost that side of myself." She looks down at my Bible, reading the passage highlighted in pink. "May I write that down? I don't want to forget it."

"You know what?" I hand my Bible to her. "You can keep it."

"What? Really?"

"Of course. There's lots of good verses highlighted in there."

"Are you sure you don't need it?"

"I'm sure. I can always get another one."

She presses the Bible against her heart, "Thank you."

"I should get going." She says, straightening up. She gathers her things, stuffing them into her oversized bag. "Thank you. I appreciate what you've said to me today."

"Of course." I say, and I can't resist a smile. "If you ever need to talk, you know where I'll be."

"Thank you." She embraces me, then smiles and walks out the door.

Wow. Thank You, Jesus.

I sit back up on the stool and stare at my computer.

Give an example of an instance in your life when this verse helped you through a situation.

A bright smile stretches across my face as I begin to type.