All Things

We've all heard the verse that says "God works all things for good". But I don't think we realize how true it is most of the time. Monday was an opportunity for me to see the truth of it first hand (as opposed to hearing the amazing stories...form some sad reason, those seem to be considered a dime a dozen today).

On Monday my sister and I had class until 2PM. After class, we were going to go out to lunch with some people, but it didn't end up working out (really, these details are important to the story. I promise. =P) So instead, we went to pick up chairs from one house and deliver them to another for a club meeting we had that night. After dropping off the chairs at the house, we decided to go out to lunch anyway. We found a nice little cafe ("California Crisp") in Westlake/Agoura, took our time, then took a side road back to the freeway. It was then that we passed a man sitting on the curb of the onramp, apparently out of gas. I turned around the block and came back to him, asking if he needed any help. He did. Steve (that's his name) was on his way to the bank to withdraw some money for gas when, ironically, he ran out of gas. I told him we'd take him to the bank and gas station, and then back to his car. On the way down to the bank, I started asking him about himself, and a sad but hopeful story came out. Apparently he had just moved out of his parents house and into a new apartment, but shortly after lost his job. As of now he's looking for work (clerical mostly), so if any of you know of anything, please let me know! But he seemed like a pretty well-put together guy, if with a few nervous habits. For those of you who have seen the Narnia movie, he reminded me of Mr. Tumnus, the Faun. The hopeful part is that he is (I'm hoping) a believer. I'm not one to judge, but he said he was going to a Mormon church in Thousand Oaks. That raised a red flag, but he seemed right on in what he was talking about. I guess only God knows the heart. It's our part to act as brothers in love, no matter what the circumstances. We took him back to his car, helped him get the gas into the vehicle, gave him my number, and sent him on his way with a handshake and a promise to call me if he needs any help. Only time (and God) will tell if I see Steve again in this life or the next, but I thank God for the opportunity to meet him.

Now, here's where the details are important. Remember how God promises us He'll work all things together? Remember that part? Well, think of this story. Originally, we were going to take the chairs over on Sunday. If we had, we wouldn't have even been in that area on Monday. That's one thing. Then, if we really did go out to lunch with the friends after class, then we wouldn't have gone to that cafe, and wouldn't have been on that road. That's a second thing. If we had gone to a faster place, instead of a sit-down place, we probably would have passed by before Steve even broke down. That's a third thing. Coming out of the cafe, it was a right-turn only, which caused me to take the side road instead of the freeway (my apologies to those who don't know the geography. You'll just have to take my word for it). That's a fourth thing. Kind of getting the idea? I'm not one that believes in predestination, but I can definitely recognize when God works things out. And it was awesome.