I love my coffee in the mornings.
It’s a special treat when I get to have someone else’s coffee in the morning, like today.
Somehow I found a few minutes before work, and a couple of dollars, that allowed for a luxurious trip to the drive-thru at Krispy Kreme today.
Joy!
I had sweet anticipation of sitting at my desk with a warm cup of smooth deliciousness.
As I turned into the KK, a big white Yukon cut in front of me.
Blatantly!
Without excuse or pardon, without care, just turned sharp and cut in the line ahead of me.
I was so surprised – not by the act – but by the calm I had in reaction.
“Lord! Where did that come from?”
Of course, I knew where it came from, and I thanked him and was so delighted over the person I was versus the person I knew I would have been before I had him.
As I waited patiently, I noticed the woman driving the Yukon in front of me.
She was obviously not patient.
She was not saddened, or distraught.
She instead looked angry, bitter.
Those little tale-tell wrinkles on the forehead and around the mouth told on her displeasure.
She had to repeat her order through the speaker.
She repeated her words with disgust that you could almost see dripping out of the corners of her mouth.
I immediately began to pray, “Lord, I do not know what is going on with her. But I lift her up to you.”
As she left the ordering board & speaker, I could hear her loud music thumping, and see her flicking cigarette ashes out the window.
Then, I heard her. She wasn’t singing. Instead, she was stating profanities.
Profanities at “not being able to deal with this stuff (I changed the words a little), I have to get to work!”
Profanities toward the server.
Profanities toward the person she didn’t know ahead of her who was apparently the wrong size for her liking and the wrong speed.
When she got to the window to receive her order, she forcefully handed the money over and did not wait for change before taking off.
I was just heartbroken. I was heartbroken for the server who had to face this. I was heartbroken for the car ahead of her, who had to see that impatient white bumper in her rear view mirror. And I was heartbroken for the woman driving the Yukon. “Lord, she doesn’t even know….” was all my head kept saying.
As I pulled up to the window to get my coffee, I told the server how sorry I was. But I had an opportunity to share with the server how at first I was wishing I was ahead of the Yukon, so I could have paid for her order. But if I was, I probably 1) wouldn’t have known this woman was so unhappy and 2) wouldn’t have made a difference in doing so. God put me right where I needed to be. My joy-filled moment of anticipating the treat of someone else’s coffee was placed exactly where it needed to be this morning. I’m going to continue to pray for this woman today. She doesn’t need to know I’m doing that, for it to impact her life. I’m going to pray for the Holy Spirit to tug at her, to be a present thirst. That extra extra sugar she ordered in her coffee isn’t going to satisfy her permanently. I’m going to pray that she come to know joy, love. And I’m going to continue to praise God for rescuing me from the driver’s seat of that Yukon, because I’m positive I’ve been there. Maybe that’s why my heart breaks for this woman so.
Please join me in prayer over those who just don’t know, or don’t have the Joy present first and foremost in their lives.
the toenail 