I love love love "Diet Mt. Dew" and God was able to show me just this week that I love it so much so that I have allowed this powerful 20 oz. drink to cloud my view of the very work He is doing in my midst. I hate to admit to you, but I must...I'm so ashamed!
Here's the deal...
I have been living at a Hilton in New Jersey 3 nights each week since the first week of November. There is a gift shop located in the hotel right next to the elevator and I would frequent this locale daily for the purchase of my diet mt. dew stash. There was probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 5-6 different employees that waited on me during the duration of my stay. I always paid $2/bottle except for when this one guy checked me out...he charged me $2.50/bottle. He was from India and spoke with broken English. I speak with country English so you get the picture... I asked him one day if the price had gone up and he insisted that they were always $2.50/bottle. I tried to explain to him that I was being charged $2/bottle by all of the other employees working in the gift shop. I was never able to get the message through to him without seemingly offending him. I finally decided that this must be a cultural barrier and perhaps he perceived me as a female questioning him which was not settling well. Sooo, in my persistence, I decided to let the front desk at the hotel know that this was happening. I assured them I was not angry just wanted to understand the correct pricing of diet mt. dew if I was going to continue purchasing them in the weeks ahead from the gift shop.
Fast forward to our final week at the Hilton...
My friend and co-worker came to join us for the final week of the project to complete some computer training. She is a Christian and so full of energy while also never having met a stranger! She bopped into the gift shop first thing in the morning on her first day with us and began talking to the gift shop worker. She actually shared her morning devotional with the gentleman working and on the way to the hospital shared her experience with me. She told me that she had a great morning devotional that she wanted to share with me, but couldn't because she had left her book with the man in the gift shop to read today. He is Hindu.
After we arrived back at the hotel at the end of the day we stopped into the gift shop and much to my amazement there was the guy that always charged $2.50/bottle for diet mt. dew. He was smiling from ear-to-ear at my friend as he slid her devotional book across the counter. The book is titled "Jesus Lives" by Sarah Young.
My stomach ended up in my throat and I made an about face to exit the room. I honestly could not believe that my friend had been successful in connecting on a relational level in a few short minutes that morning in order to afford her the opportunity to place a "Jesus Lives" devotional into his hands for the day. He told her he wanted his own copy and she immediately told him she would mail him a copy if he would provide her with a mailing address.
Needless to say, I felt like the ultimate failure! I was so overwhelmed with sorrow and shame that I immediately went to the Lord in prayer over my horrible shift of focus. I asked for the Lord to forgive me and expressed my deepest sorrow to my merciful Lord and Savior.
Through this experience, I was able to see how not paying attention to God's kingdom first results in missed blessings. I wanted that blessing so much when I watched the slow motion replay in my minds eye of that man sliding the "Jesus Lives" book across the counter to my friend.
Matthew 6:33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
I missed it folks...
I was so focused on the fact that diet mt. dew was being sold at a higher price. I forfeited my opportunity to befriend the gift shop worker and share Jesus.
I praise God that He is able to teach me such a valuable lesson in the midst of my boo boo and still accomplish His will of planting the seed of Jesus into the life of that Hindu man.
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