I've had some pretty amazing encounters with strangers throughout my 19 years of living some positive while others made me wish I wasn't such an extrovert when it came to meeting new people..
As I sat inside Starbucks drinking my all too yummy soy salted caramel hot cocoa, a kind elderly man approached and sat across from me. Too preoccupied with my desperate attempts too finish all the work I needed to get done---it took me about half an hour after he had sat down to finally realize that he had been staring at me through his worn down glasses.
Kindly I smile and kindly he sipped his coffee, placed it down and asked all too casually "What do you love my dear?"
His question took me by surprise. Very rarely did I speak to others at Starbucks, most of the time all I'd mutter were the few "excuse me" here and there as I brushed passed the busy customers to find a seat at the corner of the shop.
What do you love----Not who but a what.
After what felt like an eternity I finally replied, I love helping others. He thought about this for a while and then asked "Do you believe in God?"
I replied with a simple "Yes, do you?"
"Sometimes, he said, I wish I could believe in him more."
After sharing several more comments I said goodbye and my new friend went on his way. I go back almost everyday around the same busy time hoping to see him again. It was talking with this sweet man that left me pondering on his simple but rather peculiar question "what do you love?"
. . .
Sometimes I feel distant from God and His grace; though logically I know I never have or ever will be. At times I forget what I truly love and get so caught up in worldly affairs that I become blinded from what truly matters.
"Do you believe in God?"
I've never actually been asked this question so straight forwardly like my new friend had just asked me. People have always assumed that because I speak of God's grace I must surely believe in Him. Which I do, so I guess it's okay for them to assume this but I think it's important to make it known that just because I am this way now doesn't mean I've always been so confident about believing and loving Him. The thing is, it took a lot of prayer and scripture study to really come to this understanding for myself. The beauty of it all is that not only do I believe and love Him now but I have seen His mighty hand at work in my life constantly guiding and comforting me. He is my Heavenly Father and without Him I would be utterly lost.
I guess that's why as random as it was to have this elderly man just talk to me in that little Starbucks cafe down on University Parkway, it was beyond refreshing to be able to ponder on these two questions the following days. It's helped me ponderize (as was counseled during this last LDS general conference; you can click here to check out all the talks that were given this past weekend!) to see where I am and where my relationship with God is.
My challenge to you, beside always trying to smile, is to ponder "What do you love?" along with "Do you believe in God."
Whatever your answers to these questions may be, I want you to ask why. I strongly believe it's important to remind ourselves of the things that truly matter.
