On Showing Up by Andrea Fortenberry

by Rachael Adams | Jun 1, 2023 | The Love Offering Guest Blog Series

“Then I heard the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’

And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’”

– Isaiah 6:8 NIV

I opened the door and saw a woman I didn’t know holding a bucket of fried chicken.

“I wanted to do something,” she said. “I knew there would be people here and I knew you all would need to eat.”

She handed me the food and asked me to give her condolences to my aunt and uncle, who had just lost their 10-day-old baby boy, my cousin.

At 11 years old, I found it interesting that someone would think to drop off food. Many more people like her came. They brought meals. They brought flowers and cards. It was a formative experience for me.

Nearly 30 years later, I recently found myself boarding a plane to be with one of my childhood besties, as she was living out every mother’s nightmare. Two of her three children had been in a terrible car accident. Her nine-year-old son was unconscious with a brain injury and her 17-year-old daughter sustained multiple injuries.

When she called me with the news, my initial reaction was to book a flight to get to her, two states over. I prayed through whether it was the right decision. All signs pointed to it: I was able to clear my work calendar, my husband had the bandwidth to take care of our kids, and I had the airline miles sitting in my account. I booked the flight.

The next morning, I opened the Bible app on my phone and the verse of the day was confirmation, it was Isaiah 6:8.

On my way to the airport, I stopped at Target. I thought about how my friend might not have a toothbrush, hair tie or body wash at the hospital. As I wandered the aisles, my phone rang.

“He’s gone,” she said. We both began to sob.

Throughout the next few days, I did what I could for her and her family: I left the hospital to run to the pharmacy. I brought dinner. I asked the nursing staff to print out paperwork from the funeral home. I sat and watched their daughter sleeping so that my friend and her husband could do the hard job of signing those papers. I picked her up from the hospital in the morning and took her to my hotel room to take a shower. I spent the next night at their house and took care of their dog.

I couldn’t take away my friend’s pain, but I could share some of it. I couldn’t be her savior and rescue her from this tragedy, but I could show her our Savior’s love with my presence.

Whenever we feel the nudge to show up for someone else, let’s be women who say, “Here am I. Send me!”

God might call us to book a flight, but sometimes it might be to text someone that we’re thinking of them. Perhaps it’s to show up at someone’s doorstep with a bucket of fried chicken. Whatever it is, big or small, may we be willing because it all makes a difference.

About the Author:

Andrea (AWN-DRAY-UH) Fortenberry is a writer, speaker, and Bible teacher. She is the host of The Perfectionist’s Guide to Mothering, a podcast that equips moms to find freedom from perfectionism and show up for the life God has for them. She has been married to Will for 18 years and they have two children, ages 14 and 11. Being a wife and mom gives her lots of material and teaches her oh so many things! She and her family live outside of Phoenix, AZ. She is on staff with MOPS International as an Executive Leadership Coach, where she encourages and supports MOPS leaders across the country. She is also the founder of Restore: Soul Care for Moms, a conference she hosts annually in Arizona. You can connect with her at andreafortenberry.com or on Instagram @andreafortenberry.