We were told by my doctor, “Take some time off! Go do something fun! Get out of town!” My world had caved in around me and I was paddling a ‘sinking boat’ up stream. So we headed to Hawaii for a break. We walked together a lot and enjoyed the warm sun and nice food. It was a great time. A time of reprieve. A time to rest.
I would wake up at all hours of the night thinking about my clients and business. I’d get up right when Star Bucks opened and I’d have a good book with my ‘short coffee with a little room’. Each morning was the same, as it was for so many. I’d look around and contemplate what I’d read and then jot down a few thoughts. Then I’d look up again and I happened to notice this other guy reading. He was an older gentleman that seemed to read and think, like me. Before I knew it, our eyes made contact with a smile and God moved in to surprise me again. He showed up in a man called Andrew. He was a senior pastor for many years from Kamloops, British Columbia.
We hit it off! What a wonderful thing to meet someone like Andrew; a man who walked with God. A man filled with love and care. It only took a couple of mornings and I spilled out on the table the ‘hell’ I was in and the losses Bev and I and my clients were suffering. He listened with such compassion and I felt that God had met me in a Star Bucks in Hawaii. Our talks were sweet and each morning we met for, I think, the next 7 days. It’s what he said at the end of our time that came as a loud speaker in my ears. “Jack, begin to dream again! God hasn’t forgotten you! You are in His workshop!” I received that with all my heart. Such wonderful words spoken to a beaten, broken heart!
The next day we gave each other a hug and to this day we still stay in touch. God showed he was the exact person I needed to talk with that very week. In spite of what we were going through, ‘just to know God knows’, sometimes is enough. I sensed better days were ahead.
Bev and I held hands along the beach that day, knowing we were in the palm of His hand!