Not What I Expected

The Lord is so good! This morning, I asked Him to provide an opportunity to witness to someone at school, as well as the boldness and the words to say. I remember doing this before, and that day I got to witness to a co-worker. But anyway, today I just prayed and figured He would provide an opportunity with a classmate. Never set expectations for God. That was silly of me.

So I get through my first class, finished my presentation, and all that, and I planned on studying since I had an hour to burn... or so I thought. Funny how those silly little plans can totally not happen. I sit down and start thinking about taking my textbook out, and a girl from Biology (I'll call her Korinne) comes by. We greet and start chatting, and it sounds like she has some time, so we decide to hang out in the Multi-Purpose Room. She says that she hasn't had breakfast and wants to grab something from the cafeteria--she'll be right back, and I can sit. She comes back a few minutes later with a friend, and we meet and start chatting. Here's where it gets interesting.

Korinne's friend started talking about a guy they know and said that he had been kind of a jerk that morning and that he was being really cranky. Then they realized that he was across the room, and Korinne said she might go say hi. But she was eating and conversation moved on. After a while, a couple of guys walked up to our table and one of them started talking to the girls. He turned and introduced himself to me--the same guy they'd referred to as a little cranky. I'll call him Jack. His friend introduced himself, too, and Jack started talking about how awful he felt. He said that he felt really guilty because the other night at a party, a drunk girl kissed him and he kissed her back. He told us that he felt like he betrayed his girlfriend. We nodded in agreement, which didn't make him feel much better about it.

Jack said that his relationships with girls only last about a month. Korinne's friend said to me, "He's cute, but he's not a good guy to date." He agreed, with some profanity. Then he turned to me and said, "I guess I haven't made much of an impression on you, have I?" I said, "Not really." I added, "And I'm not too fond of the language." He smirked and apologized. He kept whining--still using profanity, but not as much now--about how terribly guilty he felt. He even said, "This type of thing is why I'm an alcoholic." I told him that it was actually good that he felt bad about it. He put his head down on the table. The girls pointed out that what I said probably wasn't much comfort. I knew. :)

For the first half-hour or so, I kept thinking, "Man, I just want out of here. I hate hearing all this. I don't want to socialize with these people." But God softened my heart, and I realized this is exactly what I had prayed for--not what I had expected, but what I had requested. I asked, "God, You've given me the opportunity, I feel You've given me the boldness. Please, just bring those words." I popped out with, "You need Jesus, man." He groaned. The girls said, "Jack's not exactly the religious type." I said, "I can tell." Time went on, and they talked a little about their opinions and beliefs. I prayed, "Lord, I think I need more words!" The only thing I could think to say was "Jack, it's obvious you don't want me talking about religion, but I want to ask you one question. Do you mind?" So I did--I asked him, and he said okay. Honestly, this didn't come from Rick Warren, because I haven't read his book. I think this was what God must have wanted me to say. Other than this, my mind was blank. But anyway, I asked Jack, "What do you think your life purpose is?" It took him aback. I could tell he was starting to take me seriously; the smirk evaporated from his face. He thought for a minute and started, "I think my purpose is to..." His friend interrupted, "Mess up everyone elses' lives?" He replied, a little ticked that his friend wasn't taking this seriously, "No! I think my purpose is to leave my mark." I said, "A positive mark?" He said, "Yeah. Yeah, 'cause I believe that you only die once you've been forgotten." I said, "Hmmm. That's interesting." We began talking about what hell is like; I heard some screwy theories. I told them some of the things the Bible says about it. He said, "Well, then maybe I'm gonna end up in hell, but I'm gonna have as much fun here, now, as I can." He looked down and said, "Although, right now I'm not feelin' too good."

We ended up talking about a pretty large variety of things, considering the amount of time we had. We discussed the Trinity, the canon of Scripture, and Catholicism & Mormonism. (Korinne is Catholic and Jack's mom is Mormon.) Before I knew it, Korinne broke into our thoughts and said, "Katie, we've really got to go to class." I'm not sure that I said all I wanted to say, but I know that God steered that conversation, and I'm pretty sure I said all that He wanted me to say. Korinne and I even started talking on our way to class about the differences between what we believe, a question she had about how those in the Old Testament were justified, and predestination. I told her what I believed about that, and said that I couldn't remember the Scriptures at the moment that deal with that, but that I'd investigate and get back to her. Now, I know from what she said, that she doesn't believe that Scripture is the ultimate Authority. However, I know that she wanted me to make my case with Scripture, because she knows that I do believe Scripture is the ultimate Authority.

Anyway, it was very interesting, and I know that God directed everything today. Jack said at one point (regarding his girlfriend) that this was one of the worst moods he's ever been in. I'm sure that, even though on a human level that may not sound like the best time to share with somebody, that this is what God had planned. Maybe God will make Jack realize that he's at absolute bottom and "needs Jesus," as I said. No matter how little I think I got in, I did get to speak of Christ's sacrifice for our sin and how if we believe, His sacrifice counts toward us. Anyway, it was just amazing to see how God worked today. Not that I should be amazed, in some ways. Of course God will display His glory--why should that be surprising? But it is amazing how He chooses to go about it. Praise God!