I found out this morning that I made a mistake when ordering for one of our customers. This woman is particularly persnickety (I was told), so when I put the order under Mr. So-and-So instead of Ms. So-and-So...she was not happy. You know, there just isn't any recovery when you get someone's gender wrong. (I laughed so much about this on the inside.)
Near closing time two guys my age came in looking for a Bible. They wanted a teen study Bible, and one of them started a conversation with me (after hearing my accent he was very excited to speak with an American). He talked about how he was so confused. He wants to follow God every day, but he is not sure how. Where do you start when reading the Bible? How do you know what God wants from your life? There is this girl, he told me sheepishly, but he wants to do things according to God's plan. How can he know He is walking in God's way?
Wow, way to broadside me with the tough questions everyone my age asks. The best advice I can give, I told him, was to stay deep in God's Word and to pray. Make sure to do both every day. (Many people enjoy reading a Psalm and Proverb a day and then a chapter from the Old and New Testament...or just start with the Gospels and Romans--the whole Bible is good!) On top of staying close to God yourself, seek out a wiser, older, godlier man (since the customer was a guy) who can walk you through things and pray with/for you. Join a good Bible study and wrestle through questions with your peers, but also with the older generation, they have been where we are.
I felt really inadequate with my answer. Much like I had been rambling, and since it was closing time, the young man said he would have to come back and look at the books again later. ...I'm not sure what you think of my advice for the young man, but I assure you it is much more "put together" on the blog than when it was rushing out of my mouth. I hope the next time I see him I can be more helpful.
I saw a woman roll a cigarette for the first time today. We were on the train and I watched in silent fascination as she pulled everything out of her purse and pocket of her black dress. I've just never seen it before. Very interesting.
The bus ride home takes about 20 minutes, and by the time I got off this evening, I was unusually brimming with the desire to talk. Knowing God always has an open ear, and that He wants to hear from me, I talked (out loud) to Him as I walked to my flat. We had a good chat as I prepared supper too. It's really a blessing to pour everything out before Him.
One of my favorite parts of this evening has been reading my book. I picked up a Francine Rivers book (fiction) and I'm settling in for a good read. Already I'm at page 209. I want to finish tonight, but there are 462 pages. ...We will see if my curiosity or my sensibility wins the battle tonight :)
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