A while back, I wrote about ‘finding your people, ‘ and the only way to find them is by being yourself. God always provides the people for you right where you are. He meets us right where we are and keeps them showing up as we grow.

I’m learning the more you let go and be yourself, the more people you find because you do not have expectations of who they are. I’m learning who my family is, and it’s the ones who have chosen to follow Christ. The people who are in God’s family. They don’t look anything like me and are all unique with different stories and backgrounds, but we have the same Father and share the best treasure: the Holy Spirit.

We have a customer who used to scare me. He wouldn’t come in regularly on my shift, but I knew who he was. He’s tall, slim, muscular, filled with tattoos, and always wears a bandana and sunglasses. He walks intensely and can come across as intimidating. I avoided him as much as I could.

One day, he walked in listening to music. Judging by what I just wrote without knowing him (and what I knew of him at the time), wouldn’t it be assumed that he was listening to hardcore rap or metal music.

This guy walking in singing along to “Ain’t too proud to beg” by The Temptations. He continued singing as he left the desk. It completely blew my mind and shattered the image I built up in my head. I HAD TO TELL SOMEONE, so I called my manager to say what I just witnessed and laughed so hard.

The next time he came in, he forgot his card, so I had to type him in the computer. I decided because of the Motown classics, he didn’t scare me. I smiled at him (killing them with kindness). He leaned over the desk, and while I was like, “What the heck?!” he had the cheesiest smile back.

Again. What is happening?

Over time the intensity lessened, and one day he walked in and shouted, “I’m too blessed to be stressed and too anointed to be disappointed”. I laughed so hard because I never heard that one before, and WHAT IS EVEN HAPPENING. I told him I was going to use that in the future.

“BUT THE LORD SAID UNTO SAMUEL, LOOK NOT ON HIS COUNTENANCE, OR ON THE HEIGHT OF HIS STATURE; BECAUSE I HAVE REFUSED HIM: FOR THE LORD SEETH NOT AS MAN SEETH; FOR MAN LOOKETH ON THE OUTWARD APPEARANCE, BUT THE LORD LOOKETH ON THE HEART.” – 1 SAMUEL 16:7

After that, when he walked in, he would not leave until I started with ‘I’m too anointed to be disappointed’ and ask what the Word of the day was, and we would share scriptures. He started calling me his sister. He hadn’t been in a while when I was having a rough day about a month ago. He walked in, looked at me, and said, “You looking dead! You’re supposed to be alive (in Christ) and you up in here looking all dead!” It made my day. First of all, he called me out, and I needed to hear that because YES. Also, I couldn’t catch this guy. But, he couldn’t catch me either (even though he tried really hard and gave me a bad time when I couldn’t remember word for word the armor of God in Ephesians …).

Another time while discussing bible verses, I watched it happening as a woman fell by the entrance. All I could do was scream before I had a chance to get to her. He looked at what I was looking at, and legit sprinted down the hall, picked her up, came back to the desk, and continued discussion as if nothing happened. It took me a few minutes to not have a heart attack, but I continued.

Still, since I’m me I’m always questioning people if they call themselves a Christian. (I will not bring up the water baptism fight… I will not bring up the water baptism fight…).

One day when he came in, I told him to take off his sunglasses.

The guy literally could’ve stabbed me to death, but I established by then he probably wouldn’t. 

“What? Why?”

“You always have those on! I’ve never seen your face! I’m not talking to you with those on.”

“What! They’re prescription! I can’t see!”

He took off the glasses and gave them to me. Sure enough, they were prescription. I just said, “There! The face God gave you” while eating humble pie. I thought he was just wearing them to look cool or be somebody.

Anyway, he would STILL stop by to visit now and then and even yesterday came by while I was at lunch. He was parked in front of the building, so I talked to him for a second before going back to work. He’s moving and came to say goodbye.

He gave me a hug!

Let me tell you something I am a hugger. I hug everybody, but for some reason, his hug meant so much to me. (Hint: It’s probably the fact that I thought he was a serial killer, and he wasn’t.)

It’s always the unexpected friendships that mean the most, and God provides in the smallest ways for us. Everything that is FROM HIM is so unique and special and means more than anything I would look for on my own.

I’m sure he has an incredible testimony that, hopefully, I may get to hear one day. I’m sure he’s seen some stuff in this life and has all kinds of stories he could tell. He looks like someone who had a colorful life. I’ve heard bits and pieces, but the only thing that mattered to me was that he has Jesus. He started telling me some and seemed hesitant, but what is there to be ashamed of? We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

I try not to judge people by their appearance or stories, and this guy really surprised me.

“You can meet somebody tomorrow who has better intentions for you than someone you have known forever. Time means nothing… character does.”

I don’t really have a point to this post except I am so thankful for all the people God provides for me. It’s people I wouldn’t look for, and they are all completely different from me. He sends the least expected for encouragement. It’s the friendships that come by surprise that, when formed, are most valued. You could fight for years trying to talk to someone who “has everything” and in one second meet someone whose life was torn apart, but put back together by Christ. Christ is the glue that binds you. And those people are the ones worth talking to. Those people are the ones who understand life because they are ALIVE and have life…

He took off the glasses and gave them to me.  Sure enough they were prescription.  I just said, “There!  The face God gave you” while eating humble pie.  I thought he was just wearing them to look cool or be somebody.

Anyway, he would STILL stop by to visit every now and then and even yesterday came by while I was at lunch.  He was parked in front of the building so I talked to him for a second before going back to work.  He’s moving and came to say goodbye.

He gave me a hug!

Let me tell you something… I am a hugger.  I hug everybody, but for some reason his hug meant so much to me.  (Hint: It’s probably the fact that I thought he was a serial killer and he wasn’t.)

It’s always the unexpected friendships that mean the most and God provides in the smallest ways for us.  Everything that is FROM HIM is so unique and special and means more than anything I would look for on my own.

I’m sure he has an incredible testimony that hopefully I may get to hear one day.  I’m sure he’s seen some stuff in this life and has all kinds of stories he could tell.  He looks like someone who had a colorful life.  I’ve heard bits and pieces, but the only thing that mattered to me was that he has Jesus.  He started telling me some and seemed hesitant, but what is there to be shamed of?  We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

I try not to judge people by their appearance or stories this guy really surprised me.

“You can meet somebody tomorrow who has better intentions for you than someone you have known forever.  Time means nothing… character does.”

I don’t really have a point to this post except I am so thankful for all the people God provides for me.  It’s people I wouldn’t look for and they are all completely different from me.  He sends the least expected for encouragement.  It’s the friendships that come by surprise that when formed are most valued.  You could fight for years trying to talk to someone who “has everything” and in one second meet someone whose life was torn apart, but put back together by Christ.  Christ is the glue that binds you.  And those people are the ones worth talking to.  Those people are the ones who understand life because they are ALIVE and have life…

“BUT WE HAVE THIS TREASURE IN EARTHEN VESSELS, THAT THE EXCELLENCY OF THE POWER MAY BE OF GOD, AND NOT OF US.” – 2 CORINTHIANS 4:7

Today, I thought of the following quote and wanted to share it…

“Real isn’t how you are made,’ said the Skin Horse. ‘It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.’

‘Does it hurt?’ asked the Rabbit.

‘Sometimes,’ said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. ‘When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.’

‘Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,’ he asked, ‘or bit by bit?’

‘It doesn’t happen all at once,’ said the Skin Horse. ‘You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”
― Margery Williams Bianco, The Velveteen Rabbit

We attract what we are. ❤