Chapter 41 - The Lunch Special

“I know both how to be abased, and I know how to

abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed
both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and
to suffer need.”

—Philippians 4:12

Linda and I were in Houston, Texas, trying to

raise much needed support for the work in
Belize. Money was very tight, to say the least. We
were driving east on I-10 toward Baytown, Texas. It
was lunchtime and we were as hungry as a bear that
had just come out of hibernation. We were trying
to find a Mexican restaurant, since Mexican restaurants
usually have a lunch special and give you free
chips and dip.
    We located a beautiful Mexican restaurant but
thought it might be too expensive. Nevertheless,
Linda suggested, “Let’s go in anyway and find out.”
Perusing the menu, we saw that it was not expensive
after all. When the waitress came to take our
order, we asked for one drink, one water, and one
lunch special—all that we could afford at the time.
    While we were waiting for our chips and dip,
I had a short talk with the Lord. Lord, You know I
have been obedient to pay for the meals of others
when You have impressed me to do so. It sure would
be wonderful if someone would pay for our meal
today. Nevertheless, we ordered only what we could
pay for. I know this is not faith, but Lord, my faith is
a little weak right now.
    The waitress soon served the free chips and dip.
We prayed and thanked the Lord and dove in. The
chips and dip didn’t last long, and Linda and I practically
fought over the last chip. Fortunately, the waitress
reappeared and offered to bring us more. We
politely responded, “That would be appreciated.”
    No sooner had she returned than we dove in
again, and soon our belly buttons were no longer
hitting our backbones. We relaxed and enjoyed the
beautiful scenery of the restaurant. Then the waitress
returned with our lunch special and our extra
plate. Now this was living—a delicious Mexican
meal with my bride, who was just as beautiful (or
more beautiful) as she was the day we were married.
We thoroughly enjoyed that meal.
    While we were eating, I had noticed a man
approaching each table and wondered what he was
doing. As we finished our meal, he walked up to our
table and asked how we had enjoyed our meal, and
we told him it was just great. Then he started asking
questions about where we were from, what line
of work we were in, how long we had been doing
this work, and where we were doing this work. I
thought to myself, “This guy sure is inquisity, but I
answered all his questions anyway.” Then he asked
if we would like some dessert. I love dessert, but
with no money to pay for it, I politely answered,
“No, thank you.”
    The man left our table, and I asked the waitress
for the check. After quite a while, she still had not
returned with it. We waited and waited and waited.
Finally, we saw her again and asked once more for
the check. She responded with the sweetest words
I had heard that day (other than my wife saying she
loved me); “The manager said to tell you there will
be no charge.”
    This caught me totally by surprise, since I had
forgotten about my talk with the Lord. I asked her
where the manager was, and she pointed him out. He
was the same man who had been talking to everybody.
Linda and I walked over to thank him and
also left a worthy tip. As we headed out the door, I
thought, “Lord, You have blessed our hearts today
beyond measure. Forgive me for my weak faith.”

(Copyright by Jay B Ayers)