My day was like any other. I had placed an online grocery order at the local Wal-Mart. Living at the beach, there aren’t many great options for grocery shopping, especially in today’s economy, so I sat down and carefully made my order.
Within a few hours, I received a message that my order was ready. I grabbed my purse and drove over to pick it up. Nonchalantly, I pulled into one of the designated pickup spaces, opened the app, and tapped the button that matched the parking spot where I was parked.
Soon, a young gentleman came out, pushing a cart loaded with bins full of my groceries. He was small in stature, had a beard, tattoos, and the markings of what appeared to be years of wearing gauges in his ears, but he was moving with purpose. I got out of my vehicle to let him know I needed my groceries placed in the backseat instead of the cargo area of my SUV. We exchanged the usual hello’s that come with these kinds of interactions, but then something unexpected happened, and the conversation quickly took off.
As he loaded my groceries, he noticed the small North Carolina Highway Patrol sticker in the corner of my rear window. It wasn’t anything flashy or bright, it was just a simple sticker. He pointed to it and asked if I knew someone with the Highway Patrol.
I smiled and said, “Yes, my daddy is a retired Sergeant with the Highway Patrol!”
I am always so proud of my daddy and everything he contributed to the state of North Carolina, the Highway Patrol, and the people he served throughout his career. His stories are funny, insightful, and always seem to carry an Andy Griffith kind of lesson. One day, I will write about those stories, but for now, let’s get back to the gentleman loading my groceries.
I had not yet learned his name because everything was happening so quickly and bags were quickly being loaded into the car. A hot summer day in the south is not a fun day for slinging groceries into a car. As he continued to work, he told me how much respect he had for the Highway Patrol and for law enforcement in general.
Then he asked what I did for a career. I told him I was going to law school.
That led to more conversation about life and my own circumstances because he asked, “Why now?”
When he finished loading the last bag, he stopped, turned toward me, and asked, “Do you know the Lord?”
I was not expecting that.
For a moment, I froze. I think it simply caught me off guard. Then I smiled and replied, “Yes, I do know the Lord.”
This individual (whose name and organization I will keep private) began sharing his testimony. He told me he had once been a career criminal, that he was now two years sober, and that he has been spending those two years faithfully committed to a recovery program that has completely changed his life. He spoke about his love for Jesus, how God has delivered him from addiction, and how he now lived his life for the Lord. He also shared how hard it was with all of the worldly temptations, which is very normal.
At one point, he said he used to be an evil person and that people probably remember him that way. I told him that we are never what the world says we are, we are who God says we are. When Christ makes us new, the world’s opinion no longer defines us.
He shared some personal things with me (more like his personal testimony) and as quick as all that happened, he reached out his hand and asked, “Can I pray for you right now?”
Standing there in the middle of a very busy Wal-Mart parking lot, I took his hand and, in that moment, he prayed for me and he prayed the most holy prayer I had heard in a long time. I could tell that the Holy Spirit was in this gentleman’s heart, and I could tell that he meant every word he said in his prayer.
When the prayer was over, he told me to have a blessed day and as quick as it all happened in those five minutes, he let me know he had to go back to work and off he went, disappearing through the automatic doors of the store.
I just stood there.
Was this real? Did this really just happen? It almost felt like time had stopped.
I got into my car and asked God, “What just happened?” I couldn’t move for what felt like forever.
I called daddy on the way home because he was the first person I knew I had to share it with, and it was such a blessing to share it with daddy. He loved hearing about my interaction and thought it was such a wonderful blessing in my life.
Then I cried.
To be honest, it scared me a little. I didn’t know what it meant to have such a powerful, God-centered encounter, especially with someone I never would have expected. It was incredibly eye-opening.
When I got home, my husband offered to help carry in the groceries, but I was already in tears as I tried to explain what had happened. He smiled and simply said, “Maybe it was just supposed to be like that.”
Given everything we’ve been walking through lately, I wasn’t sure what it all meant.
Later that day, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It almost felt like I could still feel his hand holding mine, and I could still hear his prayer. It was driving me crazy to think about what it all meant and why could I not accept the encounter as it was.
I picked up the phone and called a friend.
She isn’t just any friend, she is my daughter’s mother-in-law, and I am so thankful she is. Scarlet is one of the humblest people I have ever known. I’ve never heard her speak negatively about anyone. She’s someone I genuinely look up to. She loves the Lord, and she sees people the way God sees them, as His children. She doesn’t define people by their past or by their circumstances. She sees their worth because that’s how God sees us all.
She helped me understand the beauty of the encounter instead of focusing on asking, “What does it mean?” Her words, combined with my daddy’s wisdom, brought me peace that day.
Not long afterward, I reached out to the recovery program to share what had happened. They immediately knew who I was talking about. I learned that this gentleman also teaches seminary classes within the program and serves as a leader to others who are overcoming their own struggles.
The director told me they wished they received more calls like mine. Honestly, that made me sad. We should celebrate people whose lives have been transformed and uplift them because let’s face it, we are all struggling in some way this day and time. We don’t know anyone’s story, and we certainly don’t know what God has done in their hearts.
It was truly one of the most eye-opening experiences I’ve ever had. I mean, WOW! Do you realize how awesome this is for this individual and the transformation they have made through the work of those who have supported him through their program, and especially how God has transformed his life.
Four days later, I finally understood why that encounter happened.
Something very personal took place in my own life. At first, I was angry. I felt hurt, overwhelmed, and found myself slipping into fight-or-flight mode. Chaotic organization, if you will. It was a difficult day that began early that morning, and I was uncertain about so many things.
So I prayed.
And as I prayed, I suddenly understood what those prayers in the Wal-Mart parking lot had been preparing me for.
God gave me peace. He gave me understanding.
Even though I walked through several difficult hours, He reminded me that I am not the one in control, He is.
He showed me that when I begin moving in a direction that isn’t His best for me, He is faithful enough to redirect my path because His way is always better.
Later, my husband said something I’ll never forget.
“You know, I think that had to happen with the guy at Wal-Mart because God knew what was ahead of you, and this was His way of comforting you.”
He was right.
Five minutes. That’s all that encounter lasted. Five minutes of a strangers time.
Can you imagine what could happen if we all took just five minutes to tell someone what God has done in our lives? No pressure. No agenda. Just genuine joy, authentic love for people, and the courage to be honest about where we’ve been and what God has done.
People are hungry for something real. They are looking for truth. They are looking for hope.
That day in a hot parking lot with the heat soaring in the 90’s, my peace, my truth, and my hope arrived in the most unexpected way imaginable and at the time, I did not realize it. Instead of fully embracing it, I tried to analyze it death.
On that day, my peace, truth and hope came in the form of Wal-Mart, the Highway Patrol and A lot of Jesus.
Peace, Love & Happiness
Christian ♥
The Sun Will Set To Rise 