I was in an area that was a bit unfamiliar to me, but needed to get to an internet café as quickly as possible in order to beat a deadline. I asked a gentleman who was seated near the road for directions, and as he began to use his hands to show me how I could get there, I had a sinking feeling that I would have to figure this out on my own…or better still resort to Google Maps . Realizing my slight confusion, the gentleman offered to sit in the car with me to give me clearer directions to the place.
“Really? In this day and age, why would I trust a total stranger?” I thought to myself.
Somehow, judging by his appearance, I felt he was sincere and took the risk I had wanted to avoid. I said okay, made sure I hid my valuables, and let him sit, praying I hadn’t just made a silly decision.
As we drove on, I began to relax. He made no conversation…just gave me clear directions and occasionally passed a comment about a driver’s reckless driving. In a matter of minutes, we had gotten to our destination. Thinking this was his time to ask for money, this gentleman surprised me when he went contrary to my expectation. He got down, accompanied me to the café, and said he will wait till I finish.
“That’s quite weird” I thought to myself. Either this man was an angel, or he had made an agreement with the internet café owner…it had to be one of them, because this was too good to be true.
After I was done with my task, we headed back to where I had picked him from. Before getting down, he said something that got to me: “I only did this to show you that good people still exist, and not everyone is bad.”
I was honestly touched and said a big thank you. Not only was I grateful, I had learnt some lessons as well.
-Like I said in one of my posts “An Unexpected Blessing”, there are still good people out there.
Well, there may not be as many as before, but occasionally, some rare blessings come our way, and we need to appreciate them for their kindness. Even if good people are not very easy to come by these days, will we be the kind of blessing someone has been hoping desperately to meet?
-Sometimes, some risks are worth taking after all
I once heard a story of a guy and girl who fell madly in love with each other. The problem was, the guy was not used to being loved unconditionally, and the girl felt she didn’t have what it took to make a man like him happy. Each day, they were both scared about where they were going to end up, but decided to take the risk, have faith and give each other a chance. Days turned into months, then years, and today, they have a wonderful marriage full of testimonies.
Such stories, in addition to my encounter with the kind gentleman I, remind me that sometimes, some risks are worth taking after all. How will we know how something will turn out if we don’t try? What if what we gained from letting go of something far outweighs what we may have lost? We never know till we try. Life is unpredictable, but we need not be afraid to take chances. Perhaps, things will turn out better than we may have expected.
-Every little second is part of God’s plan
I left home at a particular time and got to my destination at a specific time. Somehow I knew that all these times had a role to play in my meeting this gentleman. Sometimes we’re so annoyed when a delay comes our way, like a car that won’t start, or someone coming in to interrupt our plans. But the beautiful thing is that all these little moments add up to the plans God has for us. More than once, I have had cause to say “Thank God I was at this particular place at this particular time”, for one reason or another.
God will always bring people our way at the right time to help our purpose.
This was a brief encounter I had with a complete stranger, but I left him feeling blessed and wiser. Hope you feel the same after reading this.
P.S. If you do feel blessed by reading this, don’t hesitate to share with someone else. And by the way, have you had a similar experience? Feel free to share!
