All hope was gone. The last peachy ray of sun faded on the horizon, and the beauty of a classic Texas twilight replaced the hustle of a hot summer day. As I walked to the nearest intersection, the cheerful song of the cicadas drowned the sound of my steps. That’s what a perfect ending to a hard work day had looked like on many occasions. That day, however, every detail only reminded me that my time had run out and my prayers hadn’t been answered. I felt alone, desperate, and defeated.
I still couldn’t understand why my pockets were empty after working straight for nine hours. As a college student, I was canvassing books for a scholarship, and that had never happened. I noticed one more house as I approached the intersection where I was getting picked up. That’s when I had one of the most intense debates I’ve ever had with God.
The options were either ignoring the house and calling it a day or trying again. I wanted to hope for the best. However, objectively speaking, leaving the complete set of books at that house wouldn’t be enough. It would only get me a fifth of the amount I needed for the day. Plus, having to handle another lousy experience was a considerable risk for my unstable emotions.
Arguing with God
So, I argued with God and even dared to claim the promise of Malachi 3:10. I just wanted to call for pick up and sit there and rest. However, something kept telling me to knock on that last house. “But it’s already too dark!” “They’re getting ready for dinner!” “It won’t even make that much of a difference!” “I’ve got no hope left inside!” “God, I’ve tried all day and nothing; I’m exhausted!”
That’s when I realized I was starting to sound like Peter, the disciple; and came to terms with the fact that the nudging feeling of going to that house wouldn’t disappear. So, I got up, walked across the street, and knocked on the door.
Taking a leap of faith
The mom of the house opened the door. After hearing part of my speech, she invited me into the living room and called her husband. She went to the kitchen to finish preparing supper. I was halfway through telling my speech to the dad of the house when he asked his wife to stop what she was doing so she could sit down with him and the kids.
I finished my speech to both as they listened attentively. After asking for specific details about my school, town, and major, the dad got up without explanation. He returned a couple of minutes later and said: “Look, this is what we are going to do.” …
To be continued…
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