God Bought Me Breakfast

I’m a what you would call a realist. Which is really just a nice way of saying, “I’m cynical.” Not just about God, but everything. If it's not logical then it is just not logical, and that is that. By knowing this small detail about me, you can probably understand why it's been so tough for me to secure a solid relationship with God. It is all so terribly confusing to me. So many things just don’t make sense.

Well on August 29th, 2013, God "bought" me breakfast, and my life has been changing ever since. I was in the McDonald's drive-thru line feeling guilty for just ordering the ENTIRE burrito meal. While waiting in line, I was reading on my iPhone a RUBY Magazine blog post titled "Run for God" by Beth Miramonti. She was blogging about a recent trip her and Masja LaRue had spontaneously taken to Tennessee. A trip where Beth ran her personal best 5K, they enjoyed white water rafting…blah, blah, blah. I hope Beth and Masja both know that I mean “blah, blah, blah” in the most pleasant way possible. I’m fairly certain I’m not alone when I admit that sometimes hearing about others accomplishments is motivating, but then sometimes we find ourselves being selfish and turning their joys into our sorrows because we haven’t been able to accomplish those same things. So while I’m truly very proud of Beth’s accomplishments, the truth was that on that particular morning I was reading about them while sitting in a drive-thru line waiting for a 1000 calorie breakfast to be handed to me through a window in a paper bag. You can imagine the guilt consuming me.

Just then, I looked up from my phone to creep up a bit further in line. My eyes zeroed in on a SUV with a proudly displayed Joy 99.1 sticker. The thought of God himself didn't really enter my mind, but I did feel what one may call a "nudge" suggesting that I should pay for the woman's bill that was behind me driving a minivan. I instantly started contemplating with myself on what I should do with the only $5 in cash I had on me. Should I use my debit card instead? Should I cancel my order and just pay for hers? What if she has five kids in the backseat of that minivan and her order ends up being really expensive? Hmmm??? So I did the "logical" thing and moved forward in line preparing to pay for my own bill at the same time promising to “pay it forward” some other time really, really soon. Logical, right?

Well, when I got to the window...it turns out that the SUV with the Joy 99.1 sticker had paid for MY meal. Wow! For this lifelong skeptic, THAT small gesture was huge!!! I told a few friends who are full of faith, and they, of course, confirmed their love for Him, but I still didn't quite "get it." Why can't I just GET IT?!?!

It wasn't until after finishing the book Waking Up In Heaven by Crystal McVea and after talking with a friend at church last Sunday that I realized. . . GOD bought me breakfast!!! Me!!! He bought someone breakfast who doubts Him on a daily basis.

Since then it has occurred to me that I guess I’m now a believer. I still have so many other questions to be answered, but my new found faith is comforting. Maybe next time He will buy me a healthy salad instead. Until then . . .

by Jessica Dudley