God adores children. He thinks their Awesome. Of course He thinks that about you too. But when it comes to children and their troubles He works in very mysterious ways.
For example, take the child in this story and see how God handles the situation.
I was still practicing being a professional drunk. Maybe 20 years ago now.
I was in the deep south passing through Georgia. It was during the winter months, and I was on my way to the warmer climate down in the Florida Keys. I had a heck of a hangover and hitchhiking, I had just been dropped off at an exit bordering Atlanta. I glanced at my Authentic $1.99 Casio wristwatch I picked up from the Goodwill. It was 8:37 am. Ah good. It's almost noon. I spotted a Quickly Mart and decided to go grab a 40 ouncer. That's beer talk for the pros like myself.
Taking my newly aquired carpet cleaner, and making sure it was tucked out of sight in the paper bag, I headed back to the off ramp.
Crawling up under the freeway overpass is a favorite spot for us wayfarers when we have an open alcohol container.
In the great northwest you would maybe get a ticket and the booze would be pored out in front of you and a 20 minute - don't do this speech - was offered to you for no extra charge from the offending officer. I mean attending officer..
However, back south is a different story. The southern city politician's love to have the misdemeanor law breakers clean up their fair city. The tax payers seem to agree with this. The judge will usually hand out a 30 day sentence, and during the daylight hours, make you mow city lawns, and pick up city litter, and what ever else they can drum up for you to do.
I'm one of those professional trash picker uppers, and I've helped out a few southern towns with my finally honed skills. So hiding the liquid Drano (beer) we so love is a must.
There are those who get so hungry and worn out, that they get caught on purpose just to have a place to stay and get well. That is until the city gets wise and sees that their new street sweeper, don't want to leave his new cushy career and ultimately city tosses them back out on the streets. Hey, 3 hots and cot is a life saver for some.
At last, I have managed to climb the cement slope to the top, where it levels off and you have a place to sit.
Watching the traffic go by below, I had drank maybe a quarter of the bottle. The traffic stopped and was waiting for the signal to change. Then I heard this awful, brain rattling sound coming out of a pickup truck. Remember, I'm hungover and this screeching sound puts me in a worse mood.
A pickup sits higher then cars do and I could see inside of the cab. There was a nice looking young couple and the woman in the passenger seat had a crying male child of approximately 4 years old sitting in her lap. Now that I think about it, it was more of a WAILING, that was rattling my brain.
This is when the little boy looked up and spotted me. Well, all I could think of to do was to, take my right hand thumb and stick it in my right ear and put my left hand thumb in my left ear, and extending my fingers wriggling them, and crossing my eyes, and sticking my tongue out, I made the ugliest face I could muster up.
Now instead of making him more upset, this kid, in the middle of howling, burst out laughing.
Well, knowing mom would follow the little boys eyes and see me up here, I quickly made a straight face. But she could not have known that God, through my actions, was working His stuff. No, No. All she saw was this rugged, dirty, long haired, bearded dessert rat, sitting under a bridge looking poor and pathetic.
So why was her precious baby laughing at such a sad sight? She looked away speaking with her husband
With only my straight face to look at the child started to cry again.
I again did my face and again the child burst out laughing. With my straight face back on, and with dad leaning over, both mom and dad looked up at me.
The light changed and traffic started moving ahead and with dad scratching his head he moved back over and began driving off. Now the kid started crying again but for a whole new reason. He was leaving his funny face man behind.
About to leave my line of sight, the little boy with tears dripping from his sad eyes, laid his face against the rolled up window looking one last time.
OHH Shucks, what the heck. I gave him one last face and he drove away laughing.
With an unwanted smile on my face, and a single tear rolling down my cheek I blew my nose.
Taking a deep swig of my go juice I said out loud,>>> Dang this southern hay fever...
Be kind to another person and you will be rewarded in the same way.
Love each other with all you have, because it's a good thing when that cup runneth over.
From your local drug addicted, pot smoking, Jesus freak. God Bless you and yours forever...
I love you too.
