Take a journey within a journey

[This post is part of our “Give away the gospe” series. Eric* writes from his personal experience.]

One day three years after receiving a bone marrow transplant, I was in the cancer clinic for my annual check-up. As I sat in the lab, a young nurse came to do routine blood work. I asked her, “Are you taking a vacation this year?”

She replied, “Yes, I am starting my holidays day after tomorrow.” She went on to say that she was leaving on a trip to Dubai to see a friend. I asked her how long the flight was, and she told me that with layovers and flight time, the trip was almost a full 24 hours. I asked her if she liked reading. She said she did.

So I pulled a copy of By This Name from my book bag and said, “I was given a copy of this book several years ago. It’s a book written about the world’s all-time bestseller, the Bible. I liked how it answered some big questions about life. I’ve been giving them to people just like you. It’s about a 15-hour read, a great book for your trip. I hope you like it as much as I did.”

She thanked me, I wished her a good trip and we parted like two ships passing in the night, stopping only long enough for God to allow a transfer of the most important cargo, the good news of God’s amazing grace.

Two years later, my wife and I were back at the cancer clinic for my five-year checkup. The first step in this process is to go for blood work. With 30 people in the waiting room, and a number, what would be the odds that out of the seven technicians that I would end up being tended to by the same girl I had given the book to two years ago?

As she came to my chair I greeted her like I knew her and she looked at me rather strangely, and simply said, “Hi.”

I told her, “The last time I saw you, you were leaving on a trip to Dubai.”

She said, “Oh?” but showed no further recollection.

I said to her, “I’m the guy who gave you the book.”

Her eyes opened wide and she said, “It was you who gave me that book! I just loved it and I gave it to my brother and his wife. They read it, and loved it too. Do you have any other books like that?”

This story is just one example of how opportunities to share the Gospel abound, if only we train ourselves to keep a lookout for them. Going on a vacation is an excellent time to read a book and discover the life-giving message of the Bible. It’s like taking a journey within a journey!

(* All names changed as per GoodSeed policy.)

 

Photo credit: Hajime Nakano on flickr