It is fascinating to me, as I believe it, how God sends people into our lives. It could be said they are sent at just the right time. However, even when it seems like it is the wrong time, it could turn out to be the right time. Years ago, I met a young man in his mid-twenties at my job. For his age, I was not shocked to see the behavior and hear of the things he was doing.
At the time, I had not attended church for a number of years. After my older brother passed away about five years prior, I wrestled with many questions. Even though I was not a churchgoer, I still considered myself to be a Christian. Based on some of my decisions and how I behaved at certain times, one may not have guessed it. But whenever the topic came up, I tried not to deny my faith. Maybe at that stage of my life, I ran from God. All I can say for sure, is that I was not running toward him.
The young man and I became good friends and shared similar interests. One day, a shocking turn of events happened in his life when he found out he was going to be a father. Over the next two years, I watched his life transform before my eyes. I won’t say what all happened, but it was remarkable. In that time, he began seeking God with a passion. That passion, to some, would have been considered extreme. Eventually, his enthusiasm bubbled over into my life and I wondered why he was so excited all the time. He knew that I was a Christian and our talks shifted toward the spiritual side of life. Since I was older and a Christian for as long as I could remember, maybe he thought I had answers.
He spent roughly six months discussing scriptures with me and passing notes with Bible verses scribbled on them. At the time, I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I was not looking at most of them. Every once in a while, I would take a quick peek though. He shared some materials that were available online for free. One story was from a book that took me months to get through because I could only do so in rather large chunks but spread out over time. The strangest thing happened. After stopping, each time I started up again days to months later, I was in a different place in my life that corresponded in the book. If I had rushed through the whole thing right away, it would not have had the same impact on me. The timing, in other words, was perfect. Words I desperately craved to hear jumped out at me, not just on one occasion but many.
My heart told me to go back and look through some of the other materials my friend had referred me to. At the time, free was the only price I could pay for something. Anything available for free is often deemed less valuable. However, there are times when nothing could be further from the truth. I remember downloading a series from a pastor who put all his material online at no charge. People argue until they are blue in the face over what preachers say and do. What I know for sure, is something in those messages reached out to me. The material wetted my appetize like salad and breadsticks, and I was ready for more.
Friendships can come and go throughout life because it is easy to lose touch. I have to admit though, since that point in time, my life has never been the same. For me, after years of struggling and wrestling with my thoughts, God started to do a new thing in my heart. To think, it all started when he sent the right one into my life.