Try this new way of meeting people!
The stranger said she would buy me a coffee.
What? I had heard of people- mysterious people- somewhere ELSE, who would purchase a coffee for the next person behind them at a drive-through. After I heard that, I went through drive-through after drive-through, crossing my fingers that THIS time it would be me who got a free coffee!
Life is short. Why not laugh a bit more? (Wait! WITH me or AT me? Whatever!) Let’s journey together.
Nope.
Nada.
Nothing.
Until today.
I was sitting alone1 at the coffee shop at a table that could seat up to four people. So when a smaller table opened up, I thrust my coffee and other stuff over the barrier between the tables to quickly claim the table. To walk to the new table, I would have to walk AROUND the barrier, but what if someone else claimed my space?
Even if I AM thinking of others, to help ensure there is more space available for those who wanted to sit at the busy coffee shop, I wanted that table for ME before anyone ELSE got it – THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
But in my haste, my large coffee fell over, covering half the table and a similarly sized spot on the floor in my delicious beverage.
And I felt a bit dumb about that, as people around the table jumped to avoid the splash, and then made eye contact with me. I (obviously) was henceforth known to all as “The Spiller” of the beverage. But while I was trying to pick up my pride and self-respect (who CARES about the coffee on the floor when I have bigger things to think about!):
- He had already (!) asked an employee to help clean up the mess.
- She had already (!) walked over to me to tell me she was going to buy me a new coffee.
- She was already (!) looking at me with love and compassionate understanding.2
And oh – the “he”, “she” and “she” above were all strangers. Did I mention that part? That was also kind of cool.
I chatted with the lady whose eyes showed compassion for me (Who wouldn’t like a person like that?) and before long she asked me to pull up a chair at her table. Why not? She then shared some of the pain in her life.
Why not?
We all have pain every day. We might as well share it! And that’s what happened just before Rhianna (the 3rd stranger in the bullet list above) and I clasped both hands together and prayed together, tears flowing.
“It’s about energy flowing,” she offered. I agreed with her that God is love, and His power is carried on the wings of His love.
. . . let us continue to love each other since love comes from God
So we prayed together for another person she loves, and I do not doubt that God heard our prayer, whatever His answer may be. But while we wait, He is growing our hearts in love for a fellow stranger.
And that’s even cooler than a free coffee!
And so that “stuff” that only seems to happen “elsewhere,” like free coffee (!) and God on the move, and God knitting strangers’ hearts together in a coffee shop?
Maybe that kind of stuff can happen HERE too, where I am, because God’s Spirit lives in me (Oh! And you, too, if you love Jesus!)
Here is a prayer to help begin your journey with Jesus, if you haven’t already. Oh, and she also, this stranger, prayed a shorter version of the prayer above with me, as tears flowed, and we held onto each other’s hands for dear life, as the love we both needed to breathe pulsated between our clasped hands.
Maybe God’s power and free coffee DOES happen right HERE where I am (and by logical deduction – where you are!), too!
So, spill your coffee, friend! Do this on purpose! As people feel sorry for you, clean up after you, serve you, and buy you stuff, it turns out this is a great way to make new friends!
You’re welcome!
Good luck!
Life is short. Why not laugh a bit more? (Wait! WITH me or AT me? Whatever!) Let’s journey together.
