There’s Something About Mary- Part II (New Stuff & ihop)
Background: During World Race Training Camp I had a dream that I was in my tent, and all of my stuff was gone. My big pack was totally empty. I wasn’t even fully awake before I knew God was telling me that I was making other things (clothing, electronics, shoes, etc) idols and they had to go. I also knew that God wanted me to give my stuff away, in order for me to Trust Him more and to give Him more chances to show me that He is indeed my Provider and that He will meet all of my needs. Little did I know that God was going to give me the opportunity to give my stuff away so quickly.
Before Mary and I left the interfaith chapel at the Atlanta International Airport, the thought crossed my mind to give her a new outfit. I spent the next 10 minutes or so rummaging through my things, and began to offer almost everything to her, while she told me what she’d like to keep. She couldn’t contain her excitement even if she tried. She became very vocal about what she liked and didn’t. ( I found it hilarious when her voice got louder as she informed me that she “liked this” (my pants), and “LOVED that” ( my shirt, shoes) etc etc. At one point she reached over and got a hold of my make up bag, and my heart skipped a beat but before I knew it, she had it in a pile of stuff that was hers. All I could do was let it go and move on.
She began to accumulate so much of my stuff that I gave her my REI water proof bag, a bag that I had purchased only days before. I was certain I was going to take that thing on the Race, but God clearly showed me that He had another use for that bag. The bag filled up with lots of stuff, clothes, deodorant, make up, hair accessories, shoes, and other things.
{{ I still can’t describe how I felt as I was giving my things away, it was like walls were coming down and light was finally not only breaking through, but also shining out ( if that makes any sense.) }}
Finally, I said, “Let’s go get some food, yeah?” She smiled and replied, “Yeah.” I placed my pack on my back and my day pack in front of me, Mary carried her new bag and we headed down for some food at the ihop in the atrium. I noticed that she left a book there, but I didn’t say anything because I wasn’t sure if she wanted to leave it there or not.
Our spirits were high as we entered the ihop express. Some funky music was playing and before I knew it, I was dancing my way to the counter.
{{ I never, ever imagined that I would be dancing joyfully right after I gave so much stuff away, but I did. Even though I was dancing, I was still hesitant, and wasn’t fully relaxing, for I still had my guard up that suddenly Mary would get violent or something. It made me uneasy that I was so uneasy, but I tried to stay in the moment as best as I could.}}
We finally made it to the counter, and after a few minutes of some serious consideration, I ordered a breakfast deal, pancakes, bacon and eggs, my kind of breakfast. It took a little while for Mary to order, but she finally ordered a wide variety of food, from a boiled egg to chicken, to grits and cheese. I asked Mary to bless the food, and she sweetly blessed it. In her blessing, she asked God for both of us to relax and enjoy the food. It was so nice to hear her say that, and almost instantly, my tense shoulders went down and I smiled.
As we ate, I noticed that Mary was slowly chewing each bite of her food. I quickly felt and realized that Mary was grateful for every single bite of her food. It was such an incredible thing to witness. Never in my life had I witnessed someone who was so grateful for what they were eating (and I had just come from World Race Training Camp) As time went on, I learned that Mary has been in Atlanta for what she thinks to be a few months, but she’s not sure. I quickly picked up that she wasn’t sure of many things, which staggered the flow of our conversation, but we both made great efforts to keep it going. I noticed that she wasn’t as talkative with others, for when the waitstaff came by to ask, “How is everything?” or “Do you need a refill?” all she could do was stare at her plate and get very quiet.
At one point in the meal, Mary reached into her bag and handed me a piece of paper. She asked me, “Do you know who this is?” On one side there are what seem to be random words scribbled all over, but when I flipped it over, I saw a young man’s picture with some text surrounding it. I quickly realized that it was a crime report, and I saw this the man in the picture was a 16 year old who was charged with driving a motorcycle without a license. I have no idea how she got this piece of paper, and all I can say to her is , “No, I don’t know him.”
As the same 4 or 5 loops what seems to be endlessly I try my best to keep her engaged in conversation, offer her seconds, which she declined, then offered her the rest of my pancakes, which she did accept.
{{Unfortunately, I was still nervous that she was going to do something major ( like scream or try to take my bag and run) but thankfully, asked God for more of His ability to trust Him and to stay engaged in the moment. I asked God to soften my heart and help me trust her, and help me listen more intentionally than ever. }}
We continued to talk about a variety of things, some more serious than others, but at one point I hit one of her buttons. I don’t even remember what I said exactly, but suddenly her head went down, and she began to cry. My heart ached as I looked at her head, and suddenly saw two tears simultaneously gravitate to her lap, probably because she was scrunching her eyes and her tears needed to fall at the same time. Finally, after a minute or two she lifted her head, wiped her tears, and I knew then and there is was time for her to get some sleep.
