Splish! Splash! I quickly surfaced, caught a breath and submerged once again under the water and kicked off the wall into my streamline. That’s how I started my twenty minutes of freestyle and ten minutes of backstroke inside the fitness center. After the swim, I ended the workout with some power snatches upstairs, four-sets with ten repetitions each. Actually, right after I got out of the pool and got dressed to run a bit upstairs and do the power snatches, I was sweating profusely. If you know me, you know that when I sweat, it’s like each one of the pores on my face is crying its heart out. It pretty much looks like my whole face is crying. It’s nasty. Anyways, before I started the weight lifting, I saw a man and a towel with the fitness center logo on it. I asked him, “Hey, do they have those downstairs or did you bring that (towel)?”
“Oh no, I brought it. Hmm, but you can buy one downstairs.” He replied.
I just smiled and waved my hand down like, “Eh, whatever, it’s all good.” And went on to do my snatches. Since I forgot a towel, I just used the bottom of my shirt to wipe my face because the floor was getting my sweat all over it. But after the third set, that same guy I asked about the towel, came towards me and gave me a brand new towel that he just bought downstairs for me. Right before he turned around to walk away, I asked him what his name was. He said, “Tony”. My immediate response was to express my gratitude, so I replied with the simple cliché,
“God bless!”
I don’t know if Tony is a Christian. Maybe he is. From his generosity, I wouldn’t be surprised. I’m thinking what it would have been like if I engaged in conversation with him about the Lord, but everything happened so fast. He just gave me the towel, gave me his name and left.
It’s so crazy. Like a total stranger would go out of his way, after his workout and walk downstairs to take out his wallet, buy a towel for me, walk back upstairs and just give it to me and walk away. No strings attached. Crazy! For me, having a towel is so not important, it just would have been nice to have one at the moment, and I thought that if the fitness center provided them, I would just use the fitness center’s towels. If I was Tony, I totally wouldn’t buy a towel for me. I wouldn’t even think twice about getting me a towel if I were in Tony’s shoes.
I don’t think many of us ever experience this. It’s usually us middle class folk who give to organizations like Gospel for Asia, World Vision, Compassion, to the beggar on the street, or to those we know and love – also the middle class. On the flip side we also receive a lot from those who know us and love us. But we often don’t receive from strangers. Usually strangers who want to give us something are motivated by an ulterior motive. Not this guy. He just gave me the towel and bounced. Poof! Gone.
It’s just a good reminder that if a stranger would go out of his way to get something for me that’s only needed temporarily, how much more will God give to me eternally? I know I didn’t deserve that towel. And I didn’t even ask for it. But I got it. It was in my hands and I used it to wipe away my sweat, and it’s now hanging around my neck as I type this reflection over this microscopic event. And I can’t help but think about God in all of this. The whole time, I couldn’t help but think about how the Lord gives to us. Personally, God gave his son Jesus Christ to me, a stranger. A stranger to his love and rebellious to his ways. That I might know love and know God’s way. In Jesus Christ, there is eternal life. That free, brand new towel that I used to wipe away the sweat of my face, is a reminder that God gave freely unto me, the pure and perfect Jesus Christ, who wipes away all my blots and exchanges my blemishes for pure. I’m a stranger, but Jesus was willing to demonstrate his love by allowing his sinless soul and flesh to hang upon a Roman cross at Calvary and die for my sin. What love is this? I’m a stranger. God gave his son when I did not ask. It was already in his heart. Jesus was committed and determined to give away his life for mine. He thought about me in an eternal way. Tony gave unto me a stranger. He has no idea how God used that to remind me of God’s love.
There’s a time and place for us to ask.
There’s a time and place for us to listen and receive.
It’s kind of hard to listen and receive when words are still coming out of my mouth. I think this was the time for me to listen and receive.
But there is a time to ask. Jesus says, “your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Matthew 6:8) Again, Jesus says on the mountain top, “Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:9-11)
Let’s keep seeking the Lord Jesus and asking, but let’s not fail to listen and receive when God is speaking and giving because it just might happen when you least suspect it. God loves you….and God bless!
