THE BLESSING!

 

Friday, November 4, 2022

 

[Every year, sometime in November, I remember this odd event. It made such an impact on me that I relive it often. When it is cold and rainy I think of the strange young man in Mardel’s Bookstore in 2013, almost ten years ago. I hope you enjoy it … again.]

 

THE BLESSING!

 

Gal 6:10

10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

 

          My wife and I had gone to Wichita Falls on some business and inevitably we always visit Hobby Lobby and Mardel’s Christian store. The day was blustery with suddenly cold temperatures and freezing rain. While Irene was at Hobby Lobby, I took refuge in Mardel’s and poured myself a cup of free coffee. I was sitting near the front of the store, in a comfortable chair next to the Christmas tree, when I observed a curious thing.

 

          A man entered the store wearing a green parka with the hood pulled up over his head. He was soaked! He carried a black trash bag with mysterious contents. He asked if there was a bathroom and was directed to the back of the store. Then he asked if he could leave his parcel with the clerk near the register. Always accommodating, the clerk told him he could leave his burden with her while he went to the bathroom.

 

          Now, I’m watching all this and thinking that this could be a bomb! Then I dismissed that notion because a bomber would not leave a bomb and then retreat into the building and not from it. While I continued to sip my coffee and ponder, the man returned to retrieve his package.

 

          The clerk offered the man some coffee and he eagerly and gratefully accepted. He walked over to the coffee pot and took a seat next to me. I noticed that he did not fit the homeless model. He was young, clean and had recently shaved. He had a nice smile and a military haircut. I asked him if he was in the military because Sheppard Air force base is in Wichita Falls. He answered that he was a Marine. Marines never talk of their service as “former.” I was prompted to speak to him of his salvation, but he said something that stopped me.

 

          He said: “The Lord has been blessing me all day long!” He said this with a smile that nearly glowed. He then told me that he lived in an apartment near Wal-Mart.  I knew that this apartment was a considerable distance to walk and thought I might offer him a ride home. He stopped that thought by saying he had a few stops along the way. There was something about this young man that made you want to help him even though he asked for little.

 

          Then the blessing happened! Another clerk came from the rear of the store with an old golf umbrella. While it was a bit dirty, it was solid. She apologized for its condition and explained that it had been left at the store by a customer. His face lit up with understanding and thanksgiving. I remembered what he had said to me: “The Lord has been blessing me all day long!” Then I thought of a Bible verse …

 

Heb 13:2

2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for there by some have entertained angels unawares.

 

Dear Lord, today may bring opportunities to do good and be a blessing. Don’t let me overlook these. AMEN