Lunch with God

Only last Sunday did Anne's homily address the power of the Holy Spirit--and, for me, it was a "take away" (which I often revisit and reflect during morning meditations, and this latest take-away was no exception).  The homily brought me back to a story I remembered from a Sunday School Class from so long ago, it was called my "junior high" school era (yes, feels like a hundred years ago).  The author is unknown so the story I hope to share is very paraphrased, and I hope I capture it enough to deliver its intent.

There was a little girl named Evie who wanted to meet God. She knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so she packed her suitcase with a bag of cookies and six cans of lemonade and started on her journey. When she had gone about three blocks, she met an old woman in the park.

The old woman was sitting on a bench, staring down at some pigeons. Evie sat down next to her and opened her suitcase. She was about to take a drink from one of her lemonades when she noticed that the lady looked hungry, so Evie offered her a cookie.

The woman gratefully accepted it and smiled at Evie.  Her smile was so pretty that Evie wanted to see it again, so she offered her one of the lemonades. Again, the old woman accepted the drink and gave Evie a big smile.

Evie was delighted! The two sat there all afternoon--eating cookies, drinking lemonade, and smiling at each other--but they never spoke a word.  As it grew dark, Evie realized how tired she was and she got up to leave, but before she had gone more than a few steps, she turned around, ran back to the old woman, and gave her a hug, and the old woman returned Evie's hug with her biggest smile ever.

When Evie opened the door to her own house a short time later, her mother was surprised by the look of joy on her face. She asked Evie, “What did you do today that made you so happy?"

Evie replied, "I had lunch with God." But before her mother could respond, she added, "You know what? She's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"

Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home.  Her son asked her what she had been doing all afternoon. She said she was fairly certain she had been with God.  Before her son could respond, she added, "You know, she's much younger than I expected."

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 includes the verse, "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven."  Has someone come into your life that might need the feeling that God has reached out to them?  Are you that vessel? And like in this little story, actions spoke louder than words.  People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.  Has the Holy Spirit been present for you to share?

— Debi Nicolai