One of the great things about pursuing Jesus daily is that He has already been pursuing me {and you} forever. So it's not this one-way street of unrequited love. He will make Himself known if i'm willing to look beyond the physical realm we live in and see into the spiritual realm where God is working everyday. And sometimes divine interventions are unavoidably and obviously crafted by Him, like my encounter with James in Williams, Arizona.
i never pictured angels wearing leather bomber jackets and Converse sneakers but hey, God works in mysterious ways and shouldn't be limited (not to mention He loves blowing my expectations to bits). Okay, quick background info: i road-tripped with my Young Life team to Arizona where all of UTYL met and prepared Lost Canyon (a camp for high schoolers). When the work was done, we spent a day at the Grand Canyon worshipping and admiring this natural wonder of the world.
So on the way back to camp, we got hungry and stopped in the little town of Williams for dinner. We were crossing the street when a guy not too far from our age called out letting us know that this Mexican restaurant was good. Sweet, he sounded like he knew the area better than we did so we took his advice.. and invited him to eat with us too. As it turned out, he hadn't been there for too long; he had bought a motorcycle in Washington and drove down the west coast until he stopped there because he was down to one penny.
i could go on and on about his incredible story and how unique his perspective was, but i'll use the biblical book of James to convey what he taught me.
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." (1:2-3)
- On the coast of northern California James decided to go surfing in a storm. After large waves and wind knocked him under and broke his board in half, he found himself closer to death than he had ever felt. He tried fighting the currents, gave up knowing he couldn't win and in a final moment of desperation he called out to Jesus to save him. Here, he found himself standing on a rock out in the middle of the water. And we think miracles are outdated! Watching him tell this story with tears in his eyes and the biggest smile told me he wasn't kidding. Talk about a test of faith.
"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." (1:5-6)
"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." (1:12)
"The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position." (1:9)
- James had a lovely attitude about money that opened my eyes and reminded me of God's promise of provision. "Use what you need and give the rest away." I saw that when he donated half of his wallet to the live musician playing at the restaurant. Wealth can replace our trust in God if we're not careful. {he had just gotten a job as a waiter in Williams}
"Every good and perfect gift is from above." (1:17)
"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." (4:6)
- Along the way, James stopped to try and snag a care pack that was being distributed to homeless war veterans. He knew he was lying but figured he could really use what they were offering in the package, so when the man asked for James' military identification number, he threw out a random number. It didn't work, and he explained his situation and apologized for lying. Said he learned his lesson and moved on. But as he was leaving the man came to him with a pack saying God told him to give it to James. Thanks God.
"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." (1:22)
"In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." (2:17)
- James had read the book Love Does and believed in the power of doing. In fact, he reminds me of Bob Goff, the book's crazy and incredibly wise author.
"keep oneself from being polluted by the world." (1:27)
- We asked James if he had a phone, to which he replied, "lately, no." He decided that his phone hindered him from interacting with people. The way he saw it, if he had a question he would much rather ask someone and have a great conversation than Google search and find the answer immediately. What a beautiful and adventurous perspective.
"Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." (4:14)
- A harsh truth, but a reminder to live fully and live in the present. As James told stories of fun times camping on beaches, he remembered when a man passed him going to work in the morning and then again in the evening. He stopped and offered James to stay on his property, which ended up being in a California celebrity neighborhood. {not to mention James knows Macklemore. what?}
"Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise." (5:13)
- This defines my angel, James. After a long dinner, we laid hands on James and prayed for him. And in return, he tearfully prayed the most beautiful, genuine prayer i have EVER heard. His asking was begging and his thankfulness was deep, heartfelt gratitude that had my whole team crying. i have chills just thinking about it.
i know James is human, but he's also my angel because i know that God reached His hand down and placed him in my life that day to teach me not to be so narrow-minded about life. And now every time i see a single penny, i think of James.
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THE TEAM AND JAMES.
{Abbey, Hayden, Matthew, Haleigh, Katie, Tayler, Annie, James, me} |
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| i think this captures the joy i felt that day.. |
