Blessings. They can be so unexpected. Tonight, Chris and I went with my parents to eat at Green Hills Grille. Someone had given Chris some gift certificates, and we felt like tonight would be a good night to use them. We had just prayed over our food when a man walked up to our table and said, “Does anyone over here know Jesus?” We all just stared at him, and then I realized that it was a guy that I had graduated high school with. His name is Craig.
A little background: Craig and I went to school together from 7th to 12th grade. Although we had our moments, most of the time he was not very nice to me. He often made fun of me for my Christian beliefs or for my looks or whatever he could find to pick on. As he put it, he persecuted me, but I prayed for Craig.
But Craig ended up becoming a Christian, and God lit quite a fire inside him. Really, he glows. He has apologized to me, my family, and even to Chris for the way he treated me. And tonight, the waitress told us that Craig had picked up our check for dinner. Amazing.
We had a nice time after dinner chatting with him, his lovely wife, and his two adorable children. His son Joseph was born in Columbia. He’s a miracle boy. The doctor told Craig that he needed to just enjoy the time he had with Joseph because he would not make it, but Craig told them that Joseph would live and would some day be a preacher. He had prayed, and he felt God’s peace. Joseph is now a vibrant and healthy two year old. Hopefully Craig will contact Dad soon; we all hope to get together soon.
Sometimes blessings are so obvious like what happened with us tonight. But sometimes they are subtle, and we miss them. I had several blessings today: Chris and I complete three miles today on our walk, including the HILL. Chris brought me sweet tea from Sonic this morning. Today was a gorgeous day. I get to walk outside twice a day at work: once to put mail in the mailbox and once to retrieve mail. Today my little stroll was a small piece of heaven on earth. The sky was delicately strewn with soft clouds; the sun felt warm on my skin, and a brisk, refreshing breeze sufficiently cooled the earth. Later in the day two sweet little girls took a few moments to stop and talk to me. And though I soundly conked my head on a shelf at work today and ended up with a nice size bump, I did not get knocked out! (I really thought for a moment there that I was going to go down.) Oh, and I was able to take a long nap when I got home from work.
I actually keep a grateful journal where I write down three to five things each day that I am grateful for. It's such a great exercise and helps me to be more positive about my life.
I hope that I will be able to pass blessings on to other people tomorrow.
2 comments:
We had a great time at dinner with you.I'm so happy we got to meet Craig and his family.What a blessing.I hope we will get to hear his story on how he came to the Lord.You can tell that the Lord has really changed his heart.
I haved always admired you for keeping the Grateful journal. I have wanted to start one like you and have just never took the time to do it. I going to give it a try. I really love the idea
That's so cool. I think it's amazing that he remembered how he had treated you in high school. Many people don't remember the things that they have said in the past that really affected others. That's great that he recalled all of that and apologised. Also, that's great about him coming to know Christ, and having such stong faith now. Praise God for that. That faith is most likely what saved his son.
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