What God Can Provide with $120

What God Can Provide with $120

2/23/13

We all joke and say to others that God can do what He wants with whatever He desires.  But that statement does not take hold in our lives until we actually allow God to use those experiences for His glory, no matter what the circumstances we have endured over a specific season.  Then God decides to show us what can happen when we allow Him to work through our lives and to be honest it can be quite embarrassing to us when His revelations are revealed to our blinded eyes.

Come back with to the summer of 2011 to a small town called Delta, Colorado and more specifically to an even smaller community of Delta County Memorial Hospital laboratory department.  A conversation breaks out between these two ordinary guys in which they are basically talking about nothing important, you know just guy talk.  You guessed it one of these guys is I and the other guy is one person who I have known for about a decade.  We have had many small chats but nothing real significant until this time.

The door was opened through our conversation and I asked if he would like to go out for dinner and talk about things that had recently occurred in his life.  I could tell that he was hurting in some way and that I really wanted him to know that I was there for him to bounce things off of if need be.  I then told a small joke to him and he began to laugh hysterically for a few moments.  It was one of those laughs that if one really paid attention to it would know that it was an act that had not occurred in some time.  A small tear swelled up in his eyes and he said to me that he had not laughed in a long time and that it felt good to release some built up emotions.  I then changed my tone towards the dinner concept and I told him that we were going out to dinner instead of asking him if he wanted to go out to dinner.  A few minutes of ironing out each other’s schedules and the date was finalized. 

We decided to go eat at a restaurant in Grand Junction which is about a forty minute drive north.  Nothing fancy just two guys eating and talking about life, which required a relaxed atmosphere since the topic could take a rocky course; the topic would be God and personal relationships two of the most difficult topics to tackle when it comes to human beliefs.  My friend began to fill me in on what had been going on in his life for the past few months while we were driving to Junction.  From the highlights of his explanation his life had been wrecked with a couple of personal circumstances concerning personal relationships.  Devastation was the only way to explain his position and he really needed someone to trust enough to talk to and to try and give him some answers that would make sense enough to him so that he could muddle his way though this time of his life.

Since we had made the time for dinner early, there was no waiting at the restaurant and we were seated within a few seconds after arriving.  After a drink order and arrival of “endless” chips our conversation returned to what was happening in his life.  At first I did not say much I just sat there and listened to him and what he had to say.  I was in no hurry and he had my full attention while he was releasing his feelings towards my direction.  Of course God was at work with this entire scenario even though my friend had no idea what God had in mind for him at the moment and to be honest neither did I but I knew what God had placed into my spirit and that it was at that time that the seed was to be planted within my friend’s heart.  I had a quick complaint to God asking if this would be the correct time and God responded by not saying a word in return; He made His point very clear to me at that moment.

Two hours later and a couple of ideas about relationships with humans and a couple of Kingdom principles dropped into his spirit, we began to leave the table and headed back to the huge metropolis of Delta.  Our conversation about God continued in which he began to ask many questions about God and how I felt about what God gives to us to handle.  I could tell he was hesitant to accept my answers but at the same time he was curious about what I had to say.  I provided the answers that I guessed God wanted him to hear but still felt like I had mucked things up as he shut the door to my truck and walked to his door.

Not much communication occurred between us about his personal relationship situations but at the same time I did not forget about the conversation we had and continued to pray for him on a regular basis.  I had no idea that what we had discussed had a profound effect upon his life and he began to go to church once again, in which he had admitted that it had been decades since his feet took steps in a church building. 

What does this have to do with $120?  Well it is actually involves two stories that occurred on the same day that also involves the same two guys talking about the same subject over a year later.  So I will start out with my part of the story which will be in more depth and detail since I am free to write about what occurred during my day.  Both guys in this article continue to enjoy their respective positions within the hospital and both have no intentions of changing directions any time soon.

A couple of days ago this same friend and I were talking in the hallway of the hospital and he brought up that he would like to talk to me about a few things sometime.  I sensed that he wanted to tell me some things that were important to him so once again I suggested dinner and it was not too much later that the date and time was set, for this Friday evening.

It has been a really long week for me in fact the past month has been very busy within my section of the hospital and it has taken a toll on my physical conditioning.  It all comes with the territory but for whatever reason it has been a bit more strenuous during this time period.  By the end of this week I was wiped out and was looking forward to a nice quiet weekend.  It is payday weekend so that meant that it was also the Friday that I would receive my massage.  My wife brought me lunch today as she usually does on Friday and it was good to see her as always.  When she comes up with my lunch I always know that it is a few more hours until I would be in pain trying to get my body relaxed so I could function for a few more weeks.

So as soon as I got home from work I changed clothes and ate a few more bites and took some ibuprofen and lied down for a few minutes to allow the meds to relax a bit.  Bonnie came home and came up to the bedroom where I was lying down.  I was not asleep so she began to talk to me telling me that she left me money in my wallet and that she was headed to the store to get a few things before she began her working weekend.  In no time at all she was headed out the door to the store and I then began to get ready for my massage, which did not take long since it was not a dress up occasion.

The hour long procedure always does my body good.  It is not a light massage but a very deep one and is considered to be on the medical side of things.  It keeps me limber and has helped with my headaches to the tune of not having any, which is wonderful.  God has allowed me to have these done on a regular basis and it has helped me in many ways.  I have no idea of how long I will be able to continue these sessions but as long as God provides, I will continue them.  So, the going rate for my massage is $60 dollars and in my opinion it is worth it and I thank God for this provision in my life.  Some might believe that it is a privilege or a luxury and they might be correct, but I am testament to the fact that they do work.

After my massage was over I drove up the hill and parked my truck in its normal spot.  I went into the house and found Bonnie sitting at the table talking to her boss and receiving instructions for the weekend.  I went upstairs and got into the shower to try and wash off some of the oil that was soaking into my skin.  I could not go out to eat with my skin dripping with oil and me smelling like a girl. J  So I took my after massage shower without incident and then put on my warm-ups for the casual dinner date with my friend.

The time approached for me to leave the house and pick up my friend.  I kissed Bonnie goodbye and quietly told her bye.  I opened the door and walked out and then closed the door behind me.  I got into the car, started the engine and then backed out of the driveway and headed to his house.  He was waiting on me as I pulled up into his drive and he immediately came out and got into the car.  We greeted each other and then I slowly turned around and drove out towards the restaurant. 

For the past few days the weather in the area had been pretty nasty in which neither of us wanted to drive very far so we had decided to stay in Delta and eat at one of the local steakhouses.  It was a family restaurant and did not require a tie or tuxedo to be a patron of its food.  We did not have to wait for a table so we seated ourselves to a large booth and our waitress soon joined us.  It was funny in that our waitress I had known since she was a little kid and I made sure I pointed tat fact out, which only proved that I was old.  She took our drink order and handed us the menus at the same time.

Our conversation soon began after our waitress left and it was one that lasted for approximately three hours and there was not a dull moment during that time.  I sat there at the table and was amazed at how much my friend had grown spiritually over the year.  It was a wonderful to see and to hear the change that he had allowed God to complete in his life.  After a while of listening to him talking about his “new” life I asked him what exactly was the concept that began this change inside him?

Without hesitation my friend immediately told me that it all started a year ago when we talking about the relevancy of the Old Testament at the restaurant.  It was then, after he had made that statement to me that he began to realize that God was going to show him some things.  He told me that he had no idea of how God was going to accomplish that feat but that he had a gut feeling that God was up to something.  The defining moment came when he started going to church again.

One Sunday morning the minister said that God is not a God that sits somewhere and looks upon the people with control and command and then holds everything against us when we do not do things correctly.  The minister also continued to say that God desires to have a relationship with each person on this earth, and that the type of relationship that He desires would be a personal one and not one that would be superficial either.  My friend had been taught the complete opposite all of his life concerning God and how God looks on our lives.  This was the groundbreaking shock to my friend’s life that began his new walk with God.  And after a while trying to figure out all of the new concepts that were being presented to him, he finally understand that what the minister was saying was exactly what God wanted for his life.

As I sat and listened to my friend speak about the changes within his life my heart was filled with joy and satisfaction.  At that point in time I had no inclination of what God was going to show me a few minutes later.  I continued to listen my friend explain how alive the Bible had become in his life and how the passages in the Bible meant so much more to him, more on a personal level and like it was written specifically and only for him.  He said that every night as he is getting into bed that he prays and thanks God for another day of wisdom and life. 

After three hours of blessed talking between two ordinary guys it was time to leave the restaurant.  The total cost of the dinner was $60 but the time spent with my friend could not be priced.  There is no way to accurately describe just how the even transpired but all I can say that it was wonderful to feel the presence of God that was around our table during our conversation.  Our conversation continued as we left the restaurant and headed for the car.  We got into the car and I began to drive towards his house.  It took a few minutes to arrive.  He opened the door and thanked me for the dinner company and the great talk. 

As I left his drive and turned onto the road, I noticed a person standing on their porch all wrapped up and reading a book of some kind.  It kind of caught me by surprise since I was not expecting anyone to be outside because it was about 20 degrees.  But as I passed this person god showed me just what $120 provided for me today.  He did not start with the dinner portion but with the massage portion.  It was not a sign of authority, control, or threat to take things away but it was a soft message that said that all things come from Him and even though my beliefs about saying things that I believed would not mean much to one person actually meant an entire change in someone’s life.

God reinforced His timing and how people are not ready to accept God and His ways all of the time.  We might believe we know people and some of the people we do know well, but our knowledge of a person is nothing in comparison to how God knows us.  Those simple words that I said to my friend over a year ago God used to begin a renewed work in my friend’s life.  And even though I spent some money to have an opportunity to talk with him again, the result of that initial investment over a year ago is priceless to my friend’s life.  The restoration process that God is continuing in his life is hard sometimes according to my friend but he also understands that it is a process that actually brings him closer to God on every level of his life and that he is thankful that he now knows that God does love him and wants to be in his life.

Why $120?  I cannot honestly say that the $60 I spent earlier will have any meaning to a person’s life, but I do know that there were many people in that salon when I was there and even though I might not have a clue who they were, my appearance could somehow be used by God in some specific way down the road.  All I want is to be a servant of God in my own specific way that He has called me and if it includes having a massage, buying groceries for someone I do not know or taking a person in which society has discarded to dinner, I plan on doing it. 

DLB