So I am that guy on the Race who has to go to the hospital at least once every month. I never get sick or hurt back home, but on the Race things just happen to me. However, every single time something happens to me God shows up in huge ways!
About three days ago I was at a dance festival in Estonia on my teams day off. Out of nowhere a huge storm rolled in and I started running back to the Church we where living in that month. However, it is impossible to run in sandals, let alone soaking wet sandals. So LOGICALLY I took off the sandals so I could run quickly and get out of the rain faster.
Me being me, I was able to find the only piece of broken glass in the cleanest streets I had ever seen while on the Race. As I felt the shooting pain of glass lodging itself deep inside my heal, all I could do was yell out, “Crap! I don’t want to go to the hospital again!”
Nonetheless, I ended up in another hospital…..
As the Dr. gave me shot after shot to numb my foot before he went digging around for the glass, he asked me what an American was doing in Estonia and why in the world would I be running barefoot. He said he figured only Latvians were that stupid. (The relationship between Latvia and Estonia is just like America’s relationship with Canada. They just make fun of each other for no reason.)
So, I began to tell him about the Race, where all I had been, how God had shown up in crazy miraculous ways, and how much Jesus just loves EVERYONE!
Once I got done talking he just looked at me and said, “Hmmm. I know Jesus, but that doesn’t sound like the Jesus I know. Your Jesus sounds too loving.”
As I laughed out loud I said, “Too loving!? No way, if anything we don’t let the world know just how loving He truly is!”
So real briefly I explain Jesus to him some more and how God REALLY DOES love him despite anything had done or said.
He then just sat in silence and continued to dig around in my foot. I could hear him let out the occasional, “hmmmm,” even through my moans mixed with laughter. (I laugh/moan when I am in pain. I don’t know why.)
When he finally finished working on my foot he just looked at me and said, “So he really does love me, despite who I am?”
“Well sir, who are is a son of God, so of course He loves you. Who doesn’t love their children?” I didn’t really know what else to say.
Apparently it was enough though for he proceeded to tell me that he wasn’t going to charge me for working on my foot! Instead, he told me that he was only going to charge me for a “Dr.’s visit.” This saved me so much money!
Now of course I asked him why he was doing this.
With eyes filled with peace he said, “I have been asking for this answer for a long time. You have given me the better gift. It’s the least I can do.”
