Birthday +Beer & Hope=Opportunity

I really admire the way Jesus shook up the establishment with his ministry and didn’t “do things” the way the Pharisees were used to. This weekend I stumbled onto a similar scenario. My guy and I were on our last Seattle getaway. Mike surprised me with a night downtown at the fancy Fairmont complete with dinner out, the theater and walking around Pike Place Market in the sunshine. We were walking everywhere on Friday evening so we were enjoying cocktails and not worried about the drinking & driving rule. Right before show time, we ended up at a bar across from our theater and ordered a yummy flight of beer. Yep, we were both a bit “toasted” when we overheard the young gal next to us mention it was her 25th birthday. I tend to talk to anybody (my husband & kids say everyone is a potential friend to me and I can’t even leave the grocery without making a new friend…) that said, I quickly got into a conversation with the birthday girl. It amazed me how quickly our conversation went from casual to serious.
Something in her tone told me she was discouraged. I did my best to give her encouragement and hope. Perhaps the beer in me made me bolder, but I’d like to think it was the Holy Spirit talking… Pretty soon she opened up about her fears of never meeting the right guy, her parents getting divorced, never attending church, and that she felt that there was something missing in her life. I began talking to her about how God had saved our marriage and that without Him, life really isn’t complete. (The Donut Repairman song, “Life without Jesus, is like a donut, with a hole in the middle of your heart” was sort of playing in my head.) I asked if she’d consider going to church and I suggested the only one I knew about in Seattle. Was it a coincidence that she only lived two blocks from it? I don’t think so. We didn’t get to talk that long, and I never got her first name, but she continues to be on my mind. I’m so thankful I was bold enough to talk to her about eternal matters and I pray she’ll find her way into church. Once in the door, I have no doubt that God will take care of the rest… Who knew that I’d witness in a bar???