My morning routine has been anything but these days. With my husband out of town these last three weeks I’ve been the one to get both of my girls out the door on time and in one piece. So, let me just stop right here and publicly thank my husband for his awesomeness in the morning and how much he helps me on a daily basis. I can do it without you. But I really don’t wanna! On top of getting our girls up and moving, he makes me breakfast each morning. I’m spoiled and I don’t even know it.
It had been about 2 weeks since I had eaten a decent breakfast. I could have waited until I got to my office and made me a bowl of the instant oatmeal that has been in my desk for months. I am sure starving children in China would have been happy to have it, but I just needed some Chick-Fil-A. We all need some Chick-Fil-A. Little did I know that I had a divine appointment waiting for me there.
I drove passed the church where I work and a few miles out of my way to the closest Chick-Fil-A restaurant. I will never understand how that place gets people in and out so quickly. The line is always wrapped around the building. So I drove around the building to find my place in line. As I did, I managed to accidentally cut someone off resulting in them needing to take their place in line behind me. I cringed because my car has a vinyl cross affixed to the back window. Christian’s aren’t perfect, but somehow we have gotten a bad rap for thinking we are. I was hoping the guy behind me wasn’t muttering something ugly to himself about me, or worse, something ugly about Christians in general.
That’s when God suddenly showed up in my front seat and made me real uncomfortable.
I’ve been struggling with obedience lately. Ok. I always struggle with obedience. But here lately God has really been working on me. And not just with being obedient in the big things like moral issues, although He’s pressing hard on me there too. But the little things I’ve really noticed. Like, when my husband asks me to get the oil changed in the car on Tuesday. Tuesday is ladies day and we can save $5. Tuesday it was raining and I really didn’t want to have to go out in the rain to have that done. Plus, I always feel like an idiot because I can’t find the stupid lever to open the hood. I end up having to have the mechanic do it for me. They are always so polite to me, but I know as soon as I pull out of the bay they start talking about how much they hate Tuesdays because they have to deal with mechanically ignorant women like me. But, my husband asked me to do it. We can save money. So I went.
That morning at Chik-Fil-A wasn’t much different. I could feel the Spirit telling me to buy the meal for the guy behind me. No matter what he ordered or how much it would be. He wanted me to bless him. Ok! I can do that! But wait…there’s more!
“And I want you to give him one of those Gospel tracts you found when you cleaned out your car this weekend.”
I already cut the guy off and now you want me to go all Jesus-freak?
I didn’t want to do that. But then I remembered that moment in my bedroom when I was in the 7th grade. I found a tract in my Bible that I must have pulled from church somewhere. I had a million questions about life after death because a good friend of mine had just lost her mom to cancer. I read the tract right there on my bed and met Jesus for the first time even though I had been to church all my life.
My heart started to pound as I pulled up to the window. I was making up excuses why I didn’t need to do what had been asked of me. Maybe I could just pay for his meal and have the girl tell him to have a nice day. Maybe she could just tell him I was sorry for cutting him off. Maybe she didn’t need to tell him anything and I didn’t need to pay for his meal at all.
What if the person at the window thinks I’m crazy? Or what if she’s inspired by my actions and it changes her for the better even if just a little bit?
Or what if the guy behind rejects it or it upsets him? That’s not my concern. I am to be obedient when God asks me to do anything and not ask questions.
But what if he’s already a Christian and could share the Gospel with me? Wouldn’t that be a waste? Then maybe he might be encouraged by my actions to do the same thing for someone else later. Someone else who really needs to hear the Gospel.
None of my excuses were getting me out of the task set before me. So, I told the sweet southern girl at the window that I wanted to pay for the guy behind me and asked her to give him the tract. She didn’t blink. Well, at least that settled one of my fears. She didn’t seem to think I was crazy.
She gave me my breakfast after I paid for both of us and I went on my way. I thought to myself that I’ll probably never see that guy again.
But what if I do and it’s in Heaven? What if my obedience that day shaped his eternity?
Being obedient isn’t always easy and a lot of times it doesn’t feel good. But I read something today that makes it just a little bit easier for me.
“Obedience to Jesus is the only path to no regrets.” -Billy Graham
I have yet to disprove that statement.
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