Day Trippin'

Coming home from the Pastors Retreat (from any retreat!) seems to take longer because of tiredness & the anticipation of seeing family. However, this trip home went quicker than usual. John & I had a lot to talk about -- future outreaches, summer schedules, Christmas planning, etc.

We were told to stop at a restaurant in WI that's just off the interstate. It was a cool little diner that reminded me of the Drake Diner in DSM, IA. 50s nostalgia, etc. Since it was so late in the afternoon -- @ 3pm -- we were basically the only ones there besides the waitress and the fry cook.

The gal waited on us and pretty soon we got into this cool conversation about her life (being 19) and all of its ups and downs. She shared about her family and how she didn't want her life to follow that same pattern of divorce, remarriage, divorce again, and remarriage. Yet she was also living with her boyfriend and had fallen deeply for another guy before him. She was at a place where he loved her but she wasn't willing to commit relationally to the long-term.

Do you ever ask why people share so much of their life with you -- especially when you've just met them? That's what I was wondering -- that plus, I wonder what God is doing here? You could really tell that she just wanted to be heard, to know that there was something better for her out there and that her life was going to end up alright!

She shared about a palm reader having stopped by and telling her how successful she would be in life -- she was so caught up in having this supernatural fortune! When she shared that I knew we were to talk with her more openly about Jesus. She said she knew about Jesus...that she had gone through confirmation and knew Him. I asked if she ever received him as Lord and Savior, and that since she 'knew' him if she ever talked with him?

She admitted that she hadn't asked him into her life and that she really had never talked with him. We asked if she wanted to receive Christ (and we explained what that meant) and she kind of held back, so we asked if we could lay hands on her and pray for her.

So we paid the bill and prayed for her in the middle of the diner. God provided the time and the space to really speak to her about the Father's love for her. I was amazed at how willing she was to be prayed for -- and how willingly she received all that was said. As we were finishing praying for her I felt like Jesus just wanted her to know how much she was loved by him, and that she wasn't alone in her decisions about boyfriends, the future, and especially that she wasn't alone during the painful times of watching her parents go through their divorce and subsequent remarriages.

You could see her face and demeanor change and start to falter. She was on the verge of tears when, after a few moments, she kinda shook herself and you could see the toughness facade come back over her. God was touching her heart -- going into a place that was cold and foreign, but a place where I think over time He was going to be welcomed!

She thanked us for praying and we encouraged her to pray herself about the situations facing her. Then we left...

I was so excited that God had used me to pray for her! I know that when God brings the next person into her life that shares Christ -- their job will be easier because God is softening her heart. As John and I drove away we prayed that we would see her one day in heaven. I'm trusting that the Holy Spirit will continue to point her to Jesus! And that I will see her!

I'm also praying that God will use me again and set up more divine appointments!
Have a God-blessed day!