Her name is Crystal and I promised to pray for her. In a minute you’ll understand why.
I’ve been on a study retreat this week and for dinner I stopped at a T.G.I.Friday’s. The meal was good and I had just started reading a book about the disciples when Crystal approached my table. She was a waitress, but not mine. Apparently she noticed the book and asked me about it.
After a few minutes, I asked her where she went to church. She said, “Beach Church out on 501.” I told I had worshipped there many times. She smiled and added, “It’s my family,” referring to the church.
She left and I started reading again. Then she returned and we talked for several minutes (it was late and she had the time). The more we talked, the more she opened up and told me about her life. The more she talked, the more I realized how fragile she was. Her thirty years have left her scared and afraid to trust…especially men. Her father is mostly to blame for that.
It hasn’t been easy for her to trust God either. For several years she didn’t…the result of mental and emotional scares that often heal slower than physical ones.
We talked and I gave her some advice…just some wisdom gained from living longer than she has and from seeing the things that someone who has been a pastor for 35 years has seen. She thanked me and I promised I would pray for her.
I hope you stop what you’re doing right now and pray for Crystal. She’s young in life and young in the faith. She could use all our prayers. She has a tender heart, so pray that it stays tender toward God and she learns to trust more with each passing day. Pray that God protects her from getting any new scars.
On a different note, I’ve discovered that people often ask me what I’m reading when I take a book into a public place. Gives me an opportunity to have a spiritual conversation and I always am reminded that God is already working in people’s lives before I ever show up.
What are you doing to draw attention to the fact that you’re a believer (in a non-obnoxious way of course)? You might be surprised at the conversations you end up having…in fact, I predict you’ll enjoy the experience.
Go ahead! Talk to someone!
Pastor Steve Hogg
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