October 29, 2005

I know this lady at my job. She is probably in her mid 60's and shops regularly, and over two years I have been her "date" whenever she comes in. Recently she noticed that I had gotten a piercing, and she told me this: "You'll never be a preacher with that thing in your mouth." I was taken aback at her comment, feeling that this piece of metal had caused hostility from her. I know that this is not a determining factor of my character, this ring in my mouth, but it still struck me that she became hostile with me.

There is another elderly shopper, his name is Mr. Luthor. He has shopped longer than I have worked where I work, and I was honestly scared of him for the longest time, as I am of many things I don't know what to expect.

The thing I finally saw God show me in them is that no matter how intimidating the circumstance or how hostile those were around Him, Christ loved them unconditionally, and treated them as old friends or family. In both cases I found that when I treated them as such, both were surprised so much by the attitude that the only response they could have is to return the attitude. Since this, I have become the one they come to first if they need anything, and I find them to be among the friendliest people I know.

In all the thinking I've been doing lately, God has shown me some things that really astound me, the most of which is perhaps the most peridoxical in deep Christian thinking, yet the most sensical: child-like faith is among the most important of things we can posess. The more I try to figure out God, the less I find that I will know. But if I simply go to know God, and just trust Him with things, I am at peace and suddenly know things will be alright.

I have seen so much in life that the message we are to believe is that controlling your destiny is what we were made for, but in the last week, I have seen that the opposite could not be more true.

At the same time, I've found that allowing time for God is essential.

Tonight, I was very unnerved and scared that things wouldn't be done in time. After this, I had time for a sitdown for dinner. I decided to have dinner with God tonight, and just talked to Him for a bit. After letting go of the worries and fear, I went back to work. I finally left work at 11:40, but I was not worried of running late, because I was shown that in God, nothing has a time. In the process of working, I had one of the most in depth, honest, political/religous conversations that I've ever had at work. God works in His time, not ours.

A friend of mine told me tonight that she stumbled across this and it brought her to tears to read it.

I am humbled.

I am nothing.

To consider how God works through us, that He uses each of us to help one another to know Him, that how He uses me helps someone out, and in turn, helps me out again. I am simply in awe of a God that loves His children so much that He would give us gifts to better a world that has gotten so far off course. That He would love us so much not to let us fall to our own ruin. I know of no other with as much patience.

How often do we truly show love like rain? Is our ability to love others as Jesus did hindered by "the truth" that the world is out to get us? Who is really out to get us but our own ego and fear? If we all decided to give up our fear and bias and just treat each other as old friends tomorrow, what might we see? How far can a smile go?

Can a smile and a hello help save someone's life?