Disbelief.
Our Sunday School class ended
Early, and as I drove home I debated.
Should I pick up my food at the drive thru at
KFC, or eat inside like Jack and I
Used to do.
I hadn't done it since he's been
Gone.
I prayed, "Lord, direct me. Perhaps You
Have someone for me to meet."
As I turned into the restaurant, my car
Seemed to steer into the parking lot.
I was the first customer.
The young man at the cash register had
Curly hair that extended beneath
His hat.
His name was Alex.
I wondered what possessed him to walk
Over to my table as I was eating and say,
"Have a really great day!"
It was a perfect opening!
I handed him my "Have A Good One" tract and
Struck up a conversation.
He's seventeen, a student at a
Nearby high school, and his supervisor
Was sending him home because he
Didn't feel well.
"You're an answer to prayer," I told him.
"I asked the Lord whether I should
Eat inside, and I know now He meant for
Me to talk to you."
I shared how God was with me
During hard spots in my life.
"You'll face those struggles, too,"
I said. "You may even feel at times
That life's not worth it."
I gave him another tract, the one
That explains how, for a time in college,
I gave up on God.
Alex hung onto my words, staring
Straight into my eyes,
Not looking aside,
And he thanked me several times
Before he left.
When he walked outside I saw him
Sit on the curb and read the pamphlets
Which pointed him to Jesus.
I'm overwhelmed by our encounter.
Some would conclude that the
Early class dismissal,
The decision to eat inside,
Alex walking to my table, were
Simply happenstance.
But I'm convinced the events
Were clearly crafted by God.