Are You Sure?
I had an opportunity to meet a friend for lunch the other day. She is a beautiful sister in Christ that I met through a Bible study. A lot of time has passed since the two of us have seen one another and I was really looking forward to catching up with her. We gathered at this quaint cafe called the Waukesha Cafe House. The owners have an incredible story of their own which I encourage you to check out.
The space was full of life when we arrived and the tables were filling up fast. We made our way to the second floor which was once a residential home which they have transformed into a welcoming space. As we approached the back room I noticed that everyone was working on their laptops and all the tables were filled except one. The gentleman walking ahead of us was just about to sit down at it as he paused to look over his shoulder. He saw us approaching and kindly opted to sit on the sofa instead to free up the table for us.
I said, “You can sit there, we will go back downstairs.”
He kindly replied, “It’s okay, I don’t mind.”
I whispered to my friend, “Everyone is working, we should probably go back down.”
One of the guys already seated chimed in saying, “You won’t bother us.”
“Are you sure? We are going to be talking about Jesus.”
With excitement in his voice he replied, “In that case, please sit down.”
What started as separate tables, doing separate things, quickly turned into unity. Strangers who did not know each other were now filling the room with stories of how Jesus is present in their lives. One by one we opened up about our life journey.
When it was my turn, I began to share a little about my family. I briefly talked about Leo and how he changed my life from his relationship with Jesus. I then began to share a little about Trent. Part way through my story, one of the young men stopped me and said, “I know Trent.” Goosebumps covered my body as I looked at the love in his eyes as he expressed my son’s name.
No surprise, this young man knew Trent from the gym. He shared such kind words about Trent’s character and the gentle soul he was. My heart filled with love as he spoke. There is nothing better than hearing positive stories about your child’s character especially from a stranger and even more so when the void of their absence weighs heavily on your heart.
Our conversation lasted a few hours. I never did get to “catch up” with my friend on what was new in her life. But that wasn’t what God meant to have happen during this time. What I did learn is the amazing ways God connects us with people. The beautiful opportunities that are present if we put ourselves out there.
How different this luncheon would have been if the one gentleman didn’t offer up his seat. If we would have chosen to go back downstairs. If I would have been to afraid to speak the name of Jesus. Friendships were made. Discussions were had. Jesus was known. All because of a simple question followed by a statement, “Are you sure? We are going to be talking about Jesus.
