Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.
Proverbs 16:31 ESV
I went into a local restaurant, ordered a sandwich and looked around for a table where I could quietly sit and write. The place was crowded, far too many people for my liking. I snatched a larger table for four as the busboy started cleaning it. I hated sitting there alone, but with no alternative, I sat, pulled out my laptop, and waited for my name to be called to pick up my food from the counter.
Out of the corner of my eye I noticed an elderly woman sitting alone at a much smaller table. I didn’t pay much attention. After all, I had work to do. My name was called, I got up to get my food and returned to my table to settle in.
Then I heard a very shaky voice.
I looked up. The elderly woman stood at my table with food in hand. “They took my table,” she said. She pointed to her little table, now crowded with strangers. While she had gone to pick up her food, others had taken her space!
She asked if she could sit with me and I said, “Of course!” She sat, introduced herself as Evelyn and we talked for nearly 45 minutes. I found her to be extremely social, and completely wonderful. She told me of her children, grown and living in other cities. She talked about how she spends her week, going to aerobics classes, getting her hair done, and visiting with neighbors, who take such good care of her that her children don’t have to worry about living elsewhere. In short, she was the most independent eight-three-year-old I had ever met.
But that’s only half the story.
You see, I was sitting at that very table working on a novel, a women’s fiction piece about five females of varying ages. I had a compilation or “prototype” for every character in the book, except one. That particular character? An elderly woman who lives alone in the city, has grown children who live elsewhere, and who is looking for things to do to fill her time! In the end, this “character” ends up being the most critical person in my story, for she ultimately brings all of the other characters together.
And yet I knew no one like this in real life. Until she sat down to lunch with me. I didn’t have to ask any questions; she willingly shared all the information I could ever need and more. I simply sat in stunned silence, taking mental notes and enjoying every moment in her presence. What a heavenly gift!
Has the Lord ever surprised you with a divine encounter like that? He’s so good to give us what (and who) we need, right when we need it!
Challenging Thought: Are you open to surprise encounters with strangers?
Read more devotions like this one in a new book Janice co-authored with Louise Looney titled An Overcoming Walk of Peaks and Valleys, now available on Amazon!
