An Unexpected Visitor

Today I was reflecting back on a situation that occurred several years back. My family arrived at a small town diner, to have lunch. After fidgeting with our chairs and our belongings, we finally settled in to who was going to sit where and next to whom. (This is no easy task with five children, each having very outward opinions of whom they want to sit by). I was under the weather – discouraged. Although I can’t remember specifically why, I do remember feeling quite overwhelmed as a mom and not terribly qualified or successful at it.

We ordered, talked, ate, colored on place mats and made a mess. (Sometimes, I wondered if I should bring my own hand held vacuum cleaner when they were all little, to help with clean up). Near the end of the meal, a man approached our table.

Previously, I noticed him out of the corner of my eye, sitting at a booth not far away from our table. He was a stocky man with a ruddy complexion and large muscular hands stained with oil and dirt, giving me the impression that he was hard working. He wore blue jeans and an over sized plaid shirt.

Often times, when strangers approached our table, they talked to the children or talked to my oldest son who has Cerebral Palsy. Occasionally, they made comments about how the children were well behaved (hopefully) or encouraged my son with special needs, in some way -- but not that day.

The man walked directly up to me and simply said, “Here, this is for you. You need to know that you are very special and God loves you very much.” He handed me a small card, the size of a business card, with a bear on it, and the words, “God made you special.”

I was shocked, and confused. How did he know that I needed that? Why was he talking to me?

I looked down at the card, processing what happened in what seemed like slow motion, then looked up and he was gone.

This story came back to me today while sitting in bible study, listening to the teacher speak about angels, what they are and what they are not. I have always wondered about that man. Could he have been a ministering spirit sent with a message from God?

I don’t know, but I am confident of this -- God knew what I needed to hear that day, and whether He chose to send an angel dressed in the appearance of a hardworking man, or a real man, God spoke to my heart. Perhaps this man was not an angel, but a man who felt the prompting of God and then obeyed, stepping out to encourage an overwrought, tired, struggling mother in an out of the way diner. Either way, God knew my heart, and He provided comfort and strength to me that day, in a most surprising way.

This simple event has stuck with me for all these years. I carry the little card in my purse, and from time to time, when I come across it, God uses it again to encourage me that He thinks that I am special. It also reminds me to be aware of the needs of the people around me. Perhaps God would choose for me to make a difference in a small way or a big way; one that would have a lifelong impression, as this sweet unexpected visitor did for me.