I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. Psalm 9:1, ESV
A few weeks ago, I had lunch plans with a friend. It was a rainy, dreary, cold day and a very kind, older gentleman greeted me at the door of the restaurant. He told me to come on in out of the rain and made sure I was not going to stand outside, as the line was almost out the door. He kept standing right inside the door but not as if to be seated. I asked the gentleman if he was in line, but he assured me he was just waiting on the hostess. I stepped back closer to the door to watch for my friend to arrive, all the while, wondering why the gentleman was there.
As I looked down at my phone, a plastic accordion folder in the gentleman’s left hand caught my attention. I saw that he was holding another piece of paper in his right hand. I noticed his black shoes that needed desperate polishing, his blue jeans carrying a few stains, and his visibly wet-from-the-rain, worn light-weight jacket. Through the clear folder, I could see the top piece of paper – an employment application for a nearby restaurant. I could see how he had neatly handwritten his information. As he shifted the folder in his hand, I realized that it was full of what I assume were applications. I was overcome by instant tears, and, honestly, I had to really try hard not to bust out in the “ugly cry.” (You know the cry I am talking about!)
You see, just moments before I had called my husband as I left work, saying, “I just don’t know if I can do this… I am so stressed… I don’t feel like I am doing a good enough job… It has been a terrible day…” All of a sudden, I had a different perspective that was, no doubt, God-ordained. I watched the man gently hand his application to the hostess explaining that he would be grateful for any open position. He smiled and wished me a good day as he walked out the door and walked down Market Street in the pouring rain, on to his next destination.
My issues suddenly became minute. He may have been homeless. He could have had a family to provide for. He may have not known what his or his family’s next meal was going to be. I don’t know the details, but I do know I was meant to encounter him that day. He was prepared, persistent, and peaceful. He carried himself with confidence and was genuinely happy in the midst of the unknown. I began praying for the gentleman that day, and I still pray for favor over him, for blessings to be poured out on him, and for God to work in his life.
I thank God that He used this everyday situation in a mighty way that day. There are times we become side-tracked with our seemingly endless issues that are really just attitudes of our selves getting in the way. I began to thank God for my issues that day. I thanked him for a job that can be frustrating at times. (It is never “the end of the world!”) I asked forgiveness for my rotten attitude. (Ouch!) I thanked God for His love, that he would love me enough to open my eyes to see life from another person’s perspective.
I ate lunch with my friend with the gentleman on my mind. We paid and said our goodbyes. As I started my car, in His perfect timing, the bridge lyrics of Hosanna by Brooke Fraser played through my speakers. “Break my heart for what breaks Yours… Everything I am for your Kingdom’s cause… As I walk from Earth into Eternity!” As you can imagine, more tears began to flow! I realized in that moment that I had experienced the Lord in a beautiful way. I pray those lyrics each and every day, and I invite you to do the same.
God, may our hearts be broken for the lost and the hurting. May we live our lives to impact Your Kingdom until we are in Your presence.
Shared by Tyla Boyd
Women@CF Blog 