The day I found God.

I remember going to sunday school as a child. Verses were hard to learn and the teacher would rap my knuckles with a ruler if I didn't get them right. Needless to say, I didn't care much for the idea of going to church. What I don't remember is if I ever asked my parents about God.

Years later I would go to different churches and hang around outside until I saw the preacher or minister (depending on which church) and I would ask only one question. "Where does God come from?" I never got an answer that made sense to my childlike mind. It was always something to the effect of "We don't know"

Then, when I was in my 20's, I was working in Texas at a mall cleaning up the food court just before time to open. I sat down for a minute at one of the tables to rest. An old man approached me and asked if I minded if he sat with me for a minute or two. I told him I didn't mind at all.

The old man told me that he had just returned from a mission trip to Africa. He was wearing a flowing robe that was brightly colored in rainbow hues. He sported a long, white beard and wore sandals on his feet. He asked me if I knew God. I told him that I had tried to find the answer to one question and hadn't received a decent answer. He offered to give me the answer to any question I had about God.

I debated for a minute, thinking to myself that this old man might indeed have the answer. I posed my question and he looked very thoughtful for a few minutes, almost as if he had gone into a trance.

His eyes cleared and I could almost feel his piercing blue eyes see into my soul. I held his gaze as long as I could, but eventually I had to look away. I was told that we, as mortals, were not to have the answer. The old man said that if I reached heaven I could ask God himself but that the only way I would get there was to believe with all my heart that Jesus was the Son of God, that he died for our sins, and that he rose on the third day and now sits on the right hand of God.

He took my hands in his and asked me if I truly believe. Tears sprang to my eyes and I whispered that I believed. He led me in a prayer to ask God to forgive my sins and to lead me to a better way of life. I had been saved!

When the old man was through he got up and left the food court. I stood up from my seat and one of my co-workers asked me where I had been for the last half hour. I told her that I had been sitting right here in this chair talking to an old man. She said that we haven't opened yet and that the doors were still locked. The old man wasn't to be seen.


Think what you want about my story. This really did happen. I believe that there was a divine influence in my life that day.


Word count 558
Doc Bones