By Mark Langness, Senior Soul Care, 970-217-8378
Recently I had lunch with a good friend of mine named Chris. Simply put, he is a great Christian brother. I arrived at the restaurant early and sat at a table. After waiting for about 15 minutes Chris called to tell me he was running a bit late. I waited a while longer. Chris called again to say he had not yet left his office. He apologized for being so late and even told me that it would be ok if I went ahead and ate without himand that we could reschedule for another day. I told him, “Just get over here and don’t worry about being late.” So he finally arrived at the restaurant. But he came with a very heavy heart.
Since the recession of 2008 took hold, Chris had been struggling in finding work that would meet his family’s financial needs. Job after job his hard work just wasn’t bearing any fruit. Unpaid bills mounted. He was now two months behind on his house payment and in a matter of days would be three months behind and facing foreclosure. In the middle of a busy restaurant, a 44 year old man’s heart was breaking. Tears welled-up in his eyes as he told me that he needed $2,000 immediately to avoid losing his family’s home. He didn’t know where to turn. His self esteem was non-existent. I shared scriptures of encouragement. I prayed for him. The Holy Spirit moved. I told Chris that even though he had committed his family situation to the Lord many times, I did not believe that he had ever reached the point of total surrender to Christ – A point of “release” versus commitment. He agreed. I watched as emotional and spiritual walls tumbled down. “Release” was at hand. Then a senior married couple approached our table. They had been sitting at the table just behind us. The lady, Kathy, told us that she and her husband couldn’t help overhearing our conversation. Looking at Chris she said, “We just bought a brand new car. But hearing about your situation made us feel terrible. We want to help you. We’d like to give you the $2,000 you need.” Tears of joy flowed down our faces as her husband John wrote out the check. Chris was overwhelmed with thanks, not only to Kathy and John, but more importantly thanks and praise to God for His goodness and faithfulness. Those joyful moments made clear the fact that these senior angels were believers in the Lord. They heard His knock on their hearts and they were obedient to His call. Amazing love, grace, and encouragement from our heavenly Father. Chris was late in getting to our lunch. Sometimes late really is better than never.