The waitress approached our table late, distracted, and distressed. “Excuse me, I’m sorry that I’m late. My dad is presently dying, so it has been a hard week.” She took our order and was gone.
As we ate together, we were all made sober over the revelation we had just heard. It was evident that this was a divine engagement. Finally, toward the end of the meal, I spoke up, “I don’t want to encroach on your personal life, but I have been thinking about what you said concerning your dad this whole time over our dinner. This is very heavy for me, too, because my uncle is presently dying right now, and we are on our way to Phoenix to be with our family.” I paused and asked, “May I ask you a personal question?”
“Yes,” she replied
“Have you ever thought much about what happens after death?”
She looked at me as if I somehow had gained access to her deepest fears. With a distressed look, she answered, “No, I never have thought about it before now.”
“Do you have a Bible of your own?”
“Yes”
“May I encourage you tonight, when you finish your shift, go home and read John 11. In this chapter, Jesus raises back to life his dead friend Lazarus and then offers for all time a bold claim and a grand promise, ‘I am the resurrection and the life, the one who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.'” I paused and concluded, “This passage has always been a great comfort to me.”
As I spoke, I noticed that tears were beginning to well up in her eyes, and she leaned over to give me a hug.
“Thank you, I will read it.”
Now we both had tears.
We don’t yet know what will become of this woman, but we are praying that she will respond to Jesus in faith.
(We later learned that our uncle had actually died just hours after this conversation)
Discussion:
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