“The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” (Proverbs 15:3, KJV)
Our car needed a good detailed wash. This had to be done that day, as we had an appointment the next day. The weather was cold, so standing outside while the car was being detailed would have been a bit much.
Because it was so cold out, my husband asked me if I would like to wait at a store or a coffee shop while he took the car to get washed.
I asked the Lord which one I should go to and where He had a soul to talk to about Him. I had no answer. As we drove by the car wash, my husband noticed there was a small, open tent with chairs under it and suggested I wait there.
Without thinking I replied, “Yes, that will be fine.” I knew, though, that I would be rather cold, because there were no walls to the tent.
We drove up behind the short line of cars. A man approached us to ask what they could do for us. I asked him, “How are you today?”
He put his hand to his heart. “I’m blessed and highly favored.” In the D.C. area, this answer is not the usual. I smiled. Then he and my husband talked about what was needed.
I went to sit under the tent. I covered myself with a long scarf and enjoyed the coolness of the day, even though I was shivering a bit. I was praising the Lord and thanking Him for such a beautiful day, when a lady approached where I was sitting. She was cleaning the chairs. She stopped right in front of me and greeted me. She had very hazel eyes.
“You have the same color eyes as me,” she said, smiling.
“Yours are much lighter and prettier,” I commented. She smiled again. “You have an accent. Where are you from?” I asked. She shared where she was from and then asked where I was from.
“It is through the eyes that one can see the heart of the person,” I said.
“You know you are so right. There is a lady who comes to get her car washed here. There is something very bad about her. I cannot even look at her eyes. They look so evil,” she shared. I was thinking of good, but she shared of evil.
I didn’t want to listen to this. I was enjoying the day, and I just couldn’t listen to anything negative. I turned my head slightly to the left, not giving any more attention to the conversation. But, instantly, it was as if someone took my head and turned it toward her and out of my mouth came, “Do you know Jesus as your Saviour?”
She came closer. “I am a Catholic.”
“Ah, yes, I understand. Have you believed in Jesus, not only as the Saviour of the world but also as your personal Saviour? Have you ever asked Him to be the Saviour of your soul?”
She came closer. Her hazel eyes focused on mine. “How do you do that?” she asked.
“You just simply ask Him. Would you like for me to pray with you and ask Him?”
Her eyes became more focused, and she took a step closer. “Yes, tell me; how do I do this?”
“I will help you,” I said. She came closer. I didn’t think she could step any closer, and I was kind of nervous. “You can pray with me now.” I led her in prayer. As she prayed, she received Jesus as her personal Saviour. At the cross, she asked for His forgiveness of all her sins and asked Him to take her life for His glory.
She stepped back, bowed her head, and started crying. Then she stepped forward, bent down, and gave me the biggest hug and thank you. Now, fighting more tears, she said, “I don’t know why I always cry. When others have talked to me …” She then changed the topic. “Are you a Catholic?” she asked.
“No,” I answered.
“You are a Christian?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said.
“That is even better!” she said, smiling. She started crying again and said, “I don’t know why I always cry when someone tells me about this.”
“That’s because Jesus loves you, and He has been pursuing you since you were a child. He knew you even when you were in your mother’s womb. And now you belong to Him,” I explained.
“Do you go to church?”
“Yes,” I answered.
“Which one?” she asked. I gave her the information and shared with her that the pastor and people there are very humble and given to the Gospel of Christ, and that the pastor preaches the Word of God—the Bible.
“I know. I don’t know why with this kind of people—when they talk—I start crying.”
I said, “That is because it is Jesus, through them, telling you about Him, because He loves you.” She started crying again.
I told her that now that God owned her, no one could take her out of His hands, not even herself. She cried again. “That is so good! I am so thankful!”
Afterward, we talked about reading the Bible so that she could learn about the God that now owned her—Jesus.
“I am so glad that you came here today. Thank you so much. God bless you and keep you,” she said, walking away with bright eyes and a big smile.
“Abba, Father, no wonder I did not hear an answer from You to go to the store or coffee place! You had drawn a soul to Your Son at the car wash. You had not put it in my heart to go to either place, and I just couldn’t go to either one. Jesus, it was so cold outside. I didn’t think of talking to anyone about You. I was so clear of mind, praising and thanking You for the beautiful day, even though I was so cold, when Your Spirit guided that woman’s feet in my direction. I didn’t want to carry on with the conversation that she had started. I had not understood that You were not concerned about the evil that she was sharing but about the good that you were about to do. You were watching over both of us. I had turned my head, not wanting to give attention to the conversation, but immediately, the Holy Spirit turned it to her again. Before I could think, the words out of my mouth were about knowing You as her Saviour, a bottom-line question! No one could have the boldness to ask this without You, Holy Spirit. And this started the conversation to pray for her soul for eternity. Now owned by Jesus! Saved!”