Sometimes listening to your wife is like listening to God. If you step out in faith and do what she says, great things can happen.
I was in the grocery store yesterday, standing at the checkout. My phone rang and it was Ruth. She said, “Look over the the door of the store. See that guy in the blue shirt? He’s with Jaars. Go ask him if he needs dinner and a place to stay for the night.”
I thought that was rather an odd question to ask a stranger, but I got out of line, followed him over the the frozen foods section, and said, “I hear you work with Jaars.” He looked at me with an expression that said, “Who in the world is this?!” He hesitantly replied, “Yes…” I introduced myself and asked what he was doing for supper. Frozen pizza. I asked if he wanted to come over for dinner. He hardly said a faint “Okay” when I asked where he was staying. “Sleeping in the truck” he said. (I thought, the poor guy can’t even afford a hotel room.) Not knowing he meant a big semi with a sleeper cab in it, I invited him to spend the night – urged him is more the word.
As you can imagine, the conversation was odd for both of us. We didn’t know each other. We were only assuming that since he was with Jaars and I was with Wycliffe, we were probably decent people. But there was this air of uncertainty, this feeling of walking by faith.
He did come over. We had other company coming for dinner anyway and it made for a wonderful evening with wonderful conversation about work, God, family and friends. And it happened because I could trust my wife and live out the Jesus principle of hospitality to strangers. It was a blast.
August 28, 1976. Our wedding day.
