The Day I Met Will
Dianna Vanderkarr of Flushing, MI, USA
As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. -Galatians 3:27-28
My husband, Craig, and I went out for breakfast. The restaurant had two doors, and we were sitting closer to the back door. The staff was turning toward the door, looking at each other, then again at the door. A gentleman with a heavy coat and blankets walked by and then entered. The temperature in Michigan that day was zero with the wind chill below that. The staff looked uncomfortable, but a waitress soon seated him in a booth a few feet away.
When I asked the waitress if she had seen him before, she said no. I asked her if he was living on the streets. She said she didn’t know. The staff and customers were uncomfortable. I asked her to give him breakfast and put it on our bill. She did as I requested and said thank you.
We finished our breakfast and Craig went to pay our bill. I walked up to the gentleman and asked if I could sit with him. He said yes. I found out his name was Will, and he had been living on the streets for eight years. I offered to take him to a shelter, but he refused. We chatted for a few more minutes. I gave him my business card with my name and a number for him to call. I noticed he had one dollar on the table. I told him I would continue to pray for him.
I think of Will often. As I drove to a meeting the next day, I wondered if this was a spiritual experience that had happened to me. I would say yes. I met Jesus at the table-lonely, hungry, cold, and possibly rejected by others. Even though Will was very different than I, he was and is a person of worth. I realized the Spirit was with me. I never once questioned what I was to do that day. I just felt peace in my being.
Prayer Phrase
“… the breath of the Almighty gives me life” (Job 33:4).
Spiritual Practice
Breathing God’s Compassion
Pay attention to your breathing and let it become calmer and deeper as you focus on God’s presence. Ask God to breathe in you. Imagine each breath carrying the light of God into your lungs, bloodstream, and every cell in your body until God’s Spirit fills you. Now imagine breathing out God’s compassion and grace each time you exhale, especially into places and situations in need of loving care. Give thanks to the Spirit, source of every breath, source of life.
Today’s Prayer for Peace
Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.
