September 30, 2024 • 10 mins
Tracey lives with a physical challenge and is used to stares and comments from strangers. But she will never forget the day a stranger approached her in a coffee shop with a message from God that left her absolutely speechless.
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Episode Transcript
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S1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Snapshot Testimony podcast. I'm your host, Ali Domercant.
In this podcast, I ask my guests to share one
pivotal moment that helped shape their faith in Christ. In
this episode, you'll meet a wife and mom named Tracy.
She lives with a physical challenge and is used to
stares and comments from strangers. But she'll never forget the
day a stranger approached her in a coffee shop. He
(00:22):
had a message from God that left her absolutely speechless.
Here's a snapshot testimony from Tracy.
S2 (00:34):
I was sitting in a coffee house and I was
with my husband and we were having breakfast and coffee. Um,
and a gentleman who was very finely dressed approached me.
He was wearing a suit and he seemed very nervous.
He approached the table, um, and he was nervous. And
(00:56):
he came over and he said, I know you're going
to think I'm crazy. And my husband and I thought, Uh-Oh,
what's about to happen? Right. And he said, I know
you're going to think I'm crazy. And he kind of
looked up, rolled his eyes and took a big breath,
and he said, but you know, he's telling me I
(01:16):
need to come over here. And we thought, oh, no,
you know. And he said, I have a message, and
he wants me to come here and tell you. And
then he looked at me and he said, it's for you.
And I just thought, okay. And I said to him, oh.
And he said, and it's from God. And then I said, okay, well,
you go for it. You'll be the second person in
(01:37):
my life to come over and give me a message.
And so he proceeded to give me the message.
S1 (01:42):
So what was the message?
S2 (01:45):
So the message was, he said, um, God wants you
to know that you walk with beauty and grace. And
my heart sank. Um, and I went from laughing to crying.
And I was stunned. I was just absolutely stunned. And
(02:06):
he said, he wants you to know that you walk
with beauty and grace and that you have a pure heart,
and he just wants you to know. I just looked
at him. I could barely compose myself. My husband didn't
really understand. He he knew but didn't know the back
end story of it. And he just. I looked at
him and I, I couldn't say thank you because I
(02:28):
was crying like I'm almost about to do now. And
I just said I mouthed thank you. And with that,
he turned around and walked away, and he walked to
the corner of the coffee house and looked like he
was in a private meeting with maybe clients or something. Wow.
So yeah, very shocking to me.
S1 (02:49):
So let's get the backstory of why that complement, which
is a is a nice thing to say to a stranger.
But it there was weight to it. Give us the
backstory of why that was such a weighty message.
S2 (03:03):
So I was born with a very rare birth defect
called arthrogryposis, and they told my parents that I would
never walk. I spent the first eight years of my life.
I was the youngest patient at Shriners Hospital, having my
first surgery at six weeks old, and they told my
parents I would never walk. And Shriners had a different
(03:23):
plan for me, and I just am grateful to God
for Shriners. Can't say enough about them. So anyway, um,
I spent a long time learning how to walk, but
it did leave me with a limp. So I have,
you know, gone through my 54 years of life, grateful
to be walking. But I walk with a limp and
(03:44):
I'm used to people looking and questioning it. I'm very
open about it. I'm very laid back, happy person, so
I'm always willing to talk about it and just, you know,
grew up in a loving family. So I, um, at 42,
I was pregnant and because of the weight in the
front of my stomach, my limping was just pretty exaggerated, really,
(04:10):
really exaggerated. So it, you know, people were looking as
they usually do, but this time it was a lot.
I mean, they were really looking at me. They were
really staring. A couple people made some comments and wow. Um, yeah.
You know, I and I think that, you know, just
after a while, I had just reached a point where
(04:31):
I was I was overwhelmed. And so we were on
vacation in Savannah, Georgia, and I was with my brother
and my husband, and we were all going to go
out to eat. And I didn't tell my husband what
was going on, or my brother and I just told them,
you know, I'm not feeling well. Why don't you guys
go ahead and go out to dinner and I'm going
(04:52):
to stay back at the hotel room. So I did,
and I, um, proceeded to really have a total meltdown.
I was crying, I was just sobbing. You know, I
can't take this anymore. God, why did you do this
to me? This isn't fair. You know, I was really
letting into him, unfortunately, but just kind of, you know,
(05:13):
trying to let it all go and give it up
to him and let him know how frustrated I was.
And so, you know, I cried for probably 30 minutes. Um,
and my husband came back with my brother, and I
was composed, and I never told them what happened. And
then it was the very next day that that message
was delivered to me.
S1 (05:32):
Wow.
S2 (05:33):
Yeah. And I thought, ah, was he standing in the
room with me? This man. And this is the second
time I've had a message. So it was really just
unbelievable to me. And I thought, wow, he hears me.
He hears me. It was amazing. It was just amazing.
S1 (05:54):
Now I want to I want to find out what
the first message was. But before Before I get to that,
how did that message affect your your faith? How did that. Yeah.
What was the impact?
S2 (06:06):
I think it really just told me he's there. He's listening.
He's always been there. That was huge for me. And
that really, really pole vaulted me into just I can't
even explain it just pole vaulted me into knowing that
(06:28):
I never need to doubt that he's there and he's
listening and he's got my back.
S1 (06:32):
Wow. Yeah. How did it change how you viewed your yourself?
And you know how you present to the world and,
you know, having a, you know, a physical disability or
something about you that makes people turn and take notice
sometimes in a way that feels uncomfortable. Uh, I'm sure
that can was a challenge. Did it change anything about
(06:56):
how you viewed yourself.
S2 (06:58):
I mean, I looked at it from a standpoint of,
I'm here to teach people something maybe, you know. And
I remember when my son was really little. He never
really thinks about it, talks about it, brings it up.
I'm just mom, you know, to Luke. I'm just mom.
And Luke said to me, um, why you. Mom? And
(07:18):
I remember saying to him, because God knew I could
handle it. He knew I'd be strong enough to handle it.
So I feel like it's just teaching other people because
I am a very open person. Maybe a lesson about life.
You know, something about people that are different. So, yeah,
I always said that God may have given me something
(07:40):
to deal with, but he certainly gave me a ton
of warriors in my corner, lots of friends and family.
S1 (07:47):
Okay, so I have to ask about the first time
you said that that time in the coffee shop was
the second time. What was the.
S2 (07:52):
First? So the first time you would have thought that
I would have learned. Um, but I was quite young,
so I was 20, and I had a very good
friend who was going to medical school, and we'd known
each other for about 5 or 6 years, and he
said that he wanted to interview me about what it
(08:12):
was like to live with a disability. And I said, sure,
no problem. So we decided that we were going to
go grocery shopping one night, get in the car. It's
about a ten minute drive. So he starts asking me
questions as we're leaving. And by the time we got
to the parking lot of the grocery store, I was
a blubbering idiot. I said I was doing the same thing.
(08:35):
Why did God do this to me? Sometimes I can't
understand why I have to live with this. It's very frustrating.
I mean, same spiel over and over, you know, same
same thing. Yeah. So we get to the, you know,
we get to the point where we need to go
into the store. And I thought, okay, let me just
compose myself, you know, I'm going to compose myself. And
so we walk into the store, there's nobody there as
we expected. We're standing at the produce aisle, and so
(09:00):
I'm just standing there now when I stand, you can't
tell that I have a physical challenge. So I'm just
standing there picking out fruit for, I don't know, five minutes.
And my friend is about, I don't know, 100ft away
from me. I mean, he's within earshot. He can hear anyway.
This woman. I didn't even see her. Somebody walks up
(09:22):
to me and puts her hand on my back, and
I turn and I look. And all she did is
look at me and say, everything happens for a reason,
and God loves you. And I was stunned, and I,
I looked over at the friend that I was with and,
I mean, his mouth was on the floor and I mean,
(09:44):
we couldn't believe it. I mean, I just could not
believe it. And I'm standing there. And with that, she
walked away and we never saw her again in the store,
which I also found was very odd. Wow. And so
that was the first time I was 21 and I
was stunned. But for whatever reason, I guess I wasn't
ready to hear that message, to make enough of an
(10:05):
impact yet in my life. And that's why when he
said to me at age 42, I have a message
it's for you. It's from God. And that's why I
joked with him and said, well, you go for it.
You'll be the second person to give me that message.
S1 (10:17):
And so it ended up being a pretty similar message.
S2 (10:20):
It was a similar message and it came from the
same person. Wow. And, uh, and yeah, that one made
a huge impact. I thought, open your eyes, Tracy, this
is amazing. You've been blessed twice.
S1 (10:33):
Thank you so much for hanging with me for this
week's snapshot testimony. I hope my conversation with Tracy was
as encouraging to you as it's been to me. If so,
I'd love for you to take a minute to write
a review. Your feedback really helps these stories reach more ears. Plus,
I like hearing what you think. I'm your host, Ali Hassan,
and together we're sharing the moments that shape a life
of faith in Christ. Thanks for listening.
Welcome to the Snapshot Testimony podcast. I'm your host, Ali Domercant.
In this podcast, I ask my guests to share one
pivotal moment that helped shape their faith in Christ. In
this episode, you'll meet a wife and mom named Tracy.
She lives with a physical challenge and is used to
stares and comments from strangers. But she'll never forget the
day a stranger approached her in a coffee shop. He
(00:22):
had a message from God that left her absolutely speechless.
Here's a snapshot testimony from Tracy.
S2 (00:34):
I was sitting in a coffee house and I was
with my husband and we were having breakfast and coffee. Um,
and a gentleman who was very finely dressed approached me.
He was wearing a suit and he seemed very nervous.
He approached the table, um, and he was nervous. And
(00:56):
he came over and he said, I know you're going
to think I'm crazy. And my husband and I thought, Uh-Oh,
what's about to happen? Right. And he said, I know
you're going to think I'm crazy. And he kind of
looked up, rolled his eyes and took a big breath,
and he said, but you know, he's telling me I
(01:16):
need to come over here. And we thought, oh, no,
you know. And he said, I have a message, and
he wants me to come here and tell you. And
then he looked at me and he said, it's for you.
And I just thought, okay. And I said to him, oh.
And he said, and it's from God. And then I said, okay, well,
you go for it. You'll be the second person in
(01:37):
my life to come over and give me a message.
And so he proceeded to give me the message.
S1 (01:42):
So what was the message?
S2 (01:45):
So the message was, he said, um, God wants you
to know that you walk with beauty and grace. And
my heart sank. Um, and I went from laughing to crying.
And I was stunned. I was just absolutely stunned. And
(02:06):
he said, he wants you to know that you walk
with beauty and grace and that you have a pure heart,
and he just wants you to know. I just looked
at him. I could barely compose myself. My husband didn't
really understand. He he knew but didn't know the back
end story of it. And he just. I looked at
him and I, I couldn't say thank you because I
(02:28):
was crying like I'm almost about to do now. And
I just said I mouthed thank you. And with that,
he turned around and walked away, and he walked to
the corner of the coffee house and looked like he
was in a private meeting with maybe clients or something. Wow.
So yeah, very shocking to me.
S1 (02:49):
So let's get the backstory of why that complement, which
is a is a nice thing to say to a stranger.
But it there was weight to it. Give us the
backstory of why that was such a weighty message.
S2 (03:03):
So I was born with a very rare birth defect
called arthrogryposis, and they told my parents that I would
never walk. I spent the first eight years of my life.
I was the youngest patient at Shriners Hospital, having my
first surgery at six weeks old, and they told my
parents I would never walk. And Shriners had a different
(03:23):
plan for me, and I just am grateful to God
for Shriners. Can't say enough about them. So anyway, um,
I spent a long time learning how to walk, but
it did leave me with a limp. So I have,
you know, gone through my 54 years of life, grateful
to be walking. But I walk with a limp and
(03:44):
I'm used to people looking and questioning it. I'm very
open about it. I'm very laid back, happy person, so
I'm always willing to talk about it and just, you know,
grew up in a loving family. So I, um, at 42,
I was pregnant and because of the weight in the
front of my stomach, my limping was just pretty exaggerated, really,
(04:10):
really exaggerated. So it, you know, people were looking as
they usually do, but this time it was a lot.
I mean, they were really looking at me. They were
really staring. A couple people made some comments and wow. Um, yeah.
You know, I and I think that, you know, just
after a while, I had just reached a point where
(04:31):
I was I was overwhelmed. And so we were on
vacation in Savannah, Georgia, and I was with my brother
and my husband, and we were all going to go
out to eat. And I didn't tell my husband what
was going on, or my brother and I just told them,
you know, I'm not feeling well. Why don't you guys
go ahead and go out to dinner and I'm going
(04:52):
to stay back at the hotel room. So I did,
and I, um, proceeded to really have a total meltdown.
I was crying, I was just sobbing. You know, I
can't take this anymore. God, why did you do this
to me? This isn't fair. You know, I was really
letting into him, unfortunately, but just kind of, you know,
(05:13):
trying to let it all go and give it up
to him and let him know how frustrated I was.
And so, you know, I cried for probably 30 minutes. Um,
and my husband came back with my brother, and I
was composed, and I never told them what happened. And
then it was the very next day that that message
was delivered to me.
S1 (05:32):
Wow.
S2 (05:33):
Yeah. And I thought, ah, was he standing in the
room with me? This man. And this is the second
time I've had a message. So it was really just
unbelievable to me. And I thought, wow, he hears me.
He hears me. It was amazing. It was just amazing.
S1 (05:54):
Now I want to I want to find out what
the first message was. But before Before I get to that,
how did that message affect your your faith? How did that. Yeah.
What was the impact?
S2 (06:06):
I think it really just told me he's there. He's listening.
He's always been there. That was huge for me. And
that really, really pole vaulted me into just I can't
even explain it just pole vaulted me into knowing that
(06:28):
I never need to doubt that he's there and he's
listening and he's got my back.
S1 (06:32):
Wow. Yeah. How did it change how you viewed your yourself?
And you know how you present to the world and,
you know, having a, you know, a physical disability or
something about you that makes people turn and take notice
sometimes in a way that feels uncomfortable. Uh, I'm sure
that can was a challenge. Did it change anything about
(06:56):
how you viewed yourself.
S2 (06:58):
I mean, I looked at it from a standpoint of,
I'm here to teach people something maybe, you know. And
I remember when my son was really little. He never
really thinks about it, talks about it, brings it up.
I'm just mom, you know, to Luke. I'm just mom.
And Luke said to me, um, why you. Mom? And
(07:18):
I remember saying to him, because God knew I could
handle it. He knew I'd be strong enough to handle it.
So I feel like it's just teaching other people because
I am a very open person. Maybe a lesson about life.
You know, something about people that are different. So, yeah,
I always said that God may have given me something
(07:40):
to deal with, but he certainly gave me a ton
of warriors in my corner, lots of friends and family.
S1 (07:47):
Okay, so I have to ask about the first time
you said that that time in the coffee shop was
the second time. What was the.
S2 (07:52):
First? So the first time you would have thought that
I would have learned. Um, but I was quite young,
so I was 20, and I had a very good
friend who was going to medical school, and we'd known
each other for about 5 or 6 years, and he
said that he wanted to interview me about what it
(08:12):
was like to live with a disability. And I said, sure,
no problem. So we decided that we were going to
go grocery shopping one night, get in the car. It's
about a ten minute drive. So he starts asking me
questions as we're leaving. And by the time we got
to the parking lot of the grocery store, I was
a blubbering idiot. I said I was doing the same thing.
(08:35):
Why did God do this to me? Sometimes I can't
understand why I have to live with this. It's very frustrating.
I mean, same spiel over and over, you know, same
same thing. Yeah. So we get to the, you know,
we get to the point where we need to go
into the store. And I thought, okay, let me just
compose myself, you know, I'm going to compose myself. And
so we walk into the store, there's nobody there as
we expected. We're standing at the produce aisle, and so
(09:00):
I'm just standing there now when I stand, you can't
tell that I have a physical challenge. So I'm just
standing there picking out fruit for, I don't know, five minutes.
And my friend is about, I don't know, 100ft away
from me. I mean, he's within earshot. He can hear anyway.
This woman. I didn't even see her. Somebody walks up
(09:22):
to me and puts her hand on my back, and
I turn and I look. And all she did is
look at me and say, everything happens for a reason,
and God loves you. And I was stunned, and I,
I looked over at the friend that I was with and,
I mean, his mouth was on the floor and I mean,
(09:44):
we couldn't believe it. I mean, I just could not
believe it. And I'm standing there. And with that, she
walked away and we never saw her again in the store,
which I also found was very odd. Wow. And so
that was the first time I was 21 and I
was stunned. But for whatever reason, I guess I wasn't
ready to hear that message, to make enough of an
(10:05):
impact yet in my life. And that's why when he
said to me at age 42, I have a message
it's for you. It's from God. And that's why I
joked with him and said, well, you go for it.
You'll be the second person to give me that message.
S1 (10:17):
And so it ended up being a pretty similar message.
S2 (10:20):
It was a similar message and it came from the
same person. Wow. And, uh, and yeah, that one made
a huge impact. I thought, open your eyes, Tracy, this
is amazing. You've been blessed twice.
S1 (10:33):
Thank you so much for hanging with me for this
week's snapshot testimony. I hope my conversation with Tracy was
as encouraging to you as it's been to me. If so,
I'd love for you to take a minute to write
a review. Your feedback really helps these stories reach more ears. Plus,
I like hearing what you think. I'm your host, Ali Hassan,
and together we're sharing the moments that shape a life
of faith in Christ. Thanks for listening.
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