"Yeah most churches don't care."
Something welled up inside me and I heard the Lord say... "but I do." I don't know what was said before that line in the conversation. I can only assume that the lady had a need and presented it to some "church members" and got little or no response. My heart began to break. I thought to myself, when did being a Christian cross the line of life being all about myself and not the hurting an lost around me. I read on in James.
"But He gives more grace... That is why Scripture says:
'God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.'"
James 4:6
Soon after I read this verse, I looked up and out the window of the shop and noticed a man carrying bag, some papers, and scarf. He looked sort of beshevled and a little confused but I didn't really think any thing of him. I continued on in James.
"As you know, we consider those blessed who have persevered.
...The Lord is full of Compassion and Mercy."
James 5:11
As I was reading, the man came in the shop put his things on the table next to mine and went to get coffee at the register. He had a low and somewhat gravely voice but soft, very soft. I heard the conversation that he was having with the cashier and knew that this one was a talker. Didn't really mind what he was talking about, just wanted to talk. Something inside me knew that I was about to be the benefactor of this conversationist. I read on.
Concluding the book of James, I notice that the man had returned and was looking right at me. I looked up and...
He said: "Are you reading the Bible?"
I said: "Yes Sir."
He said: "I'm a lady and I read my Bible everyday."
Before I could apoligize for calling this "Lady" a "Sir". She cut in to conversation. She begin to tell me that she was a 1968 graduate of ASU and she loved the college. That she was in town from Florida and visiting her friends and family. I then asked a few meanial questions about Florida and the weather and soon after she begin to talk more...
Fiffteen minutes into the conversation I had learned that she was 63 years old, one of 16 or 17 children (the number changed a couple of times), her father was in World War One and died a very old man. She also told me about her accepting Christ at the age of 13 and sometimes living for God and not. At this time the cashier came over and suggested that she move on to the "Rent-A-Center" because they were now open. The lady looked at me and her eye could have cut through my heart. She needed some one to listen to her stories... no matter how speratic and disconnected they were.
She said (to the clerk): "I'm just talking to this Gentleman here.
I'm not bothering him"
She said (to me): "Am I bothering you?"
Jesus in me answered: "No."
The clerk walked away and the lady looked a me with relief. The conversation went on with her laying out a story about the man she loved and that she was no longer with him. Then... she told me, with tears in her eyes, that the real reason that she was not in Florida was she was running from her husband who maybe was abusive... I couldn't get a clear answer...
My heart broke. I didn't know what to say and strangely felt like if I had known what to say that I didn't need to say it. The Lord said just listen. She told me her name and then began to ramble about some other things about her family. After a few minutes more of talking here and there...
...she gathered her things and looked at me with those peircing eyes and said the three most powerful words in the english language... "I Love You."
There was no lapse in time. The words came spewing out of my mouth before I could think about the fact that I didn't know this lady at all, had called her a man, and was in a coffee shop with "the general public".
I replied: "I love you too. God Bless you. Take care of yourself."
She smiled at me and put her scarf on and walked out of the shop.
I just sat there. I didn't know what to think. I didn't know what to feel. At that point I felt the Lord say to me... "Sometimes you just need to listen."
