I sat at the stop light on Hwy 99 and 220th waiting for it to turn green and watched a man. He was not ordinary. From my car I watched as he took calculated steps carefully walking to avoid the cracks as he walked in some kind of pattern not know to me. Perhaps it was a pattern in his head that he felt compelled to follow.
As an outsider observing and not knowing what motivated the man’s behavior I was left to come to some conclusions of my own. I wondered to myself if he was struggling with O.C.D. I don’t know much about the condition except for the little bit of information I’ve seen on TV. I felt compelled to pray as I watched him. I felt so sad that he was trapped in this behavior that originated from an anxiety that then led to a compulsion to perform the ritualistic steps.
Some questions entered my mind as I sat for only a couple of minutes that seemed like forever. I wondered if the man at the stoplight would even notice when his light turned green. Would the disorder stop him from getting to his destination? Did he have a destination? At one point he stepped off the curb and I gasped. He quickly moved back onto the curb again and I sighed with relief. Would his movement lead him out in front of a car?
My light turned green and I proceeded forward but my mind was stuck back with the man on the corner, "Jesus, please deliver him of whatever it is that grips him so he can proceed safely and be free." And then it was like my brain turned a corner.
I asked myself what fears I had that kept me from moving in the direction of my dreams and goals. Was I stuck in my head when God was saying go? Was my light green but fear had not allowed me to see it? My prayer didn’t end with the man on the corner but I carried it over to myself that day.
No, the man was not ordinary. God used this man to speak to me as I waited at the red light hoping I would notice when it turned green.
Great post! I love hearing about these little serendipities in your life and love the way you write!