MERCER ISLAND, WA (May 22, 2007) – As I was concluding my two-hour shift today, an older man took the sheet of stamps gratefully and then went into the Post Office to transact some business. On his way out of the building he asked if I knew of a good spot to have lunch. He indicated he wasn’t from Mercer Island and offered, “I’ll give you back your sheet of stamps in exchange for a restaurant referral.”
I proceeded to tell him about my favorite lunch spot half a block away. He was most appreciative, but as he drove away, I felt a nudge in my gut to walk over and see if I could have lunch with him. Because I hadn’t been to my office yet to take care of “church business,” I dismissed the urge and started to walk across the street to the church.
But the urge would not go away. Believing that the Lord was nudging me to spend time with this stranger, I walked to Han’s Garden and asked if I could join him. He was most willing and invited me to sit down.
For the next hour we ate Chinese food and visited. He told me he had become disenchanted with organized religion and at age 72 considered himself a reluctant agnostic.
He also shared that he had just been diagnosed with prostate cancer and was clearly troubled. He told me he would have radiation seed implantation in a couple weeks.
I told him my dad had been one of the first to have that procedure 12 years ago. He told me who his surgeon would be. When he said, “Dr. Peter Grimm will be operating on me,” I smiled and said, “That’s who operated on my dad! He’s one great surgeon.”
As we finished lunch and said our goodbyes, I told him I’d be praying for his battle with cancer. He was most relieved and thanked me. He indicated he and his wife would like to visit our church.
What started out as a gift of 40 cents worth of stamps ended up in a divine appointment with a man who is at a point in his life where he really wants to be convinced that a personal God cares for him.
