Right in front of me

I’m in Downtown Nashville for a wonderful un-conference called PodCamp. Knowing I’d be in this area, I was kinda looking forward to having lunch and some sweet tea at a nearby restaurant. While driving in though I saw that the TN Gymnastics Championships are going on at the convention center. Now there is a dilemma. Lunch or gymnastics? When the time came, I chose lunch of course. But while in line, I thought, “self, why don’t you get it to go and then go watch gymnastics”. Brilliant. I grabbed my bag of chips and salsa and a guacamole taco and headed to the center. (I gave up tea to do this so that’s big.) Bought a Contributor on the way.

Got to the center and realized they were going to charge me to get in. I am not paying ten bucks for the hour I’d get to watch so I stand outside the door and watch. Really, they were not going to let me in unless I paid. Watched for a while, checked on FB to see if a friend was there with her daughter and then found it was online. I took off to my original location to get Internet so I could watch.

Confusion. Is that man looking through the trash or throwing something away? Oh, he’s throwing something away. I keep walking through the crowd and watch the man look in the trash. He pulls out a to-go box and opens it. He then takes off through the crowd. The man was looking for food. I have food. Just bought it less than 30 minutes ago and have not eaten it. I start to walk faster trying to catch up with him. He’s fast. I caught him at another trash can and handed him my lunch. I don’t remember what I said, but he took it (God bless you) and I kept walking in the flow of people.

When I decided to give the man my lunch I took off on a mission. I didn’t think about it. I tend to over think things and can have great conversations with myself and lose the purpose. So, I blocked my thoughts until the mission was complete. Now I’m walking through the crowd and the thoughts start coming. The man was eating food from the trash. From someone’s unwanted, bought meal from somewhere. And he was on a mission to find food. He didn’t care if someone was watching. He didn’t open up the box and turn up his nose at the burger. He was hungry. I’m trying not to cry walking down the street. I wonder if I should go get lunch. How can I eat? I can skip a meal. I have dinner plans at a nice restaurant tonight with friends.

I am not going to analyze every part of this experience (like not talking with him, wondering if he likes guacamole taco). I am just going to focus on that little voice inside me that said give him your lunch. And also focus on the fact that that little voice knew me well enough to also tell me not to think. Just do. Obey.

Here’s to more experiences with God.