“Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” (Matthew 24:44 KJV)
Should I stay in the car? Should I go in? During these days of the pandemic lockdown, I think on this each time we have to go the grocery store or other stores to get what we need.
Since we are shut in and the spring and summer months are here, my husband and I decided to use our balcony. We wanted to enjoy grilling or just having a cup of coffee while sitting under the canopy of trees. Breaks like these would help us get through the days of ministry work.
We didn’t have outdoor furniture, but we had a folding table for the laundry room. We took that to the patio. It was the right size to enjoy in the space.
A few days later, we went to Target because it advertised inexpensive outdoor chairs. This was great! Just in time!
We found four chairs and asked a store attendant for assistance to take them to the cashier area. Right away a young woman and man took charge of this. They were very attentive, but as I looked into their eyes, neither looked ready to listen to me about Jesus. We followed behind them. Then we stood on floor makers that read, “Please practice social distancing.”
It is interesting to me to see employees and customers walking around the store with facemasks because they have to focus on looking into each other’s eyes. It cannot be avoided. One can read expressions of the heart in another’s eyes without saying a word.
Actually, the masks help me to get people’s attention on what I have to say because they have to look into my eyes to talk with me. This gives me their focus so I can tell about Jesus.
There were several customers in front of us standing six feet apart. As we waited, I was looking at the young man who was the cashier. I thought I might have an opportunity to tell him about Jesus, but in my heart I could see he was not the one who was ready to believe in Him.
I looked at the other lines, which were just as long with customers. I had to stay where we were. Oh, well, there is nothing I can do, I thought. And I settled for waiting and not telling anyone about Jesus.
With disappointment, I simply looked at the items around us, and all of a sudden, a young man walked to the cashier counter next to us. He looked at my husband and said, “I can help you here.”
Oh, a soul! There he is! It’s him! What will I say? How do I get the conversation about Jesus started? Oh, Jesus, I don’t have much practice telling others about You around these social distancing rules. Help me, Holy Spirit.
We approached the counter. There was an acrylic wall between him and us. How will he hear me? I can’t break the social distancing rules. I stood a little to the side of the wall. He didn’t seem concerned about this.
I looked at his nametag. Then I noticed he was wearing a cross. “I see that you are wearing a cross.” He looked into my eyes as he rang up tags on the chairs. He didn’t say anything, but his eyes studied mine.
“Why are you wearing a cross?”
“I don’t know. I’m just wearing it for my parents.”
“Well, don’t you think that you should follow the God your parents follow?”
“What God is that?” We were drawn back at his response. I mean, really. Cross . . . Jesus. Right?
My husband pointed to the cross that the young man was wearing. “Look, Jesus is on that cross.”
“Don’t you want to know who He is?” I asked.
“Why should I?”
“Well, what do you think about this virus?”
“I’ve heard various theories about it.”
“Would you like for me to tell you the truth about it?”
He looked into my eyes. He was ready to listen. I knew he would be saved, but I had to depend on the Holy Spirit to help me tell him about Jesus.
“This virus is a sign that Jesus is coming again. When this virus is over, there will be another event and another because these are the signs that His return is near.”
He nodded his head yes.
“You need to believe in Him as the Saviour of your soul so that no matter what happens, you will know you will be in heaven.”
Again, he nodded his head yes.
“Would you like to believe in Jesus as your Saviour?”
“Yes, I would, but I don’t know how to do that.”
“I am going to help you right now. We are going to pray and ask Him.”
“Okay.”
“Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
He stopped what he was doing, and we looked into each other’s eyes as we prayed. I could see by my peripheral vision that my husband was standing close and observing.
He prayed to the Father and believed that Jesus is the Son of God. At His cross, he asked Him to forgive him of all his sins. He believed in his heart and confessed with his mouth that Jesus had died and risen. He thanked Him for His love for him and gave his life to Him to use for His glory.
When we finished, he rejoiced. My husband and I rejoiced with him.
“Thank you! Thank you!” He was so joyful!
It was settled. He now belonged to His Saviour, Jesus.
“Thank you!” he said again. Our eyes smiled.
I addressed him by name. “God bless you. You are safe now. He will protect you.”
“Yes, I am and He will!”
I joined my husband to the side of the cashier counter. His face was a little blushed. He was smiling and rejoicing. God had used him to help with this salvation. “Claudia, that was something. It was amazing. He was so sweet. Wow!” Tears were in my eyes. “He was so ready”, I said. It blessed us both to see a soul saved when we least expected it.
“Abba, Father, I was so disappointed that I might not have the opportunity to talk about Your Son. I rarely go out these days because of the pandemic, but when I do, I want to tell people about You, Jesus. I don’t want to go into places without seeing a soul believe in You. Holy Spirit, only You had that young man come to the register next to us. No acrylic wall or pandemic can stop You from going after souls, Jesus! May Your Name be known during this time. You still have us here. Father, use our lives as fishermen of men. Save souls, Messiah.”