In searching for people to talk to, I’ve had my eye out for those who are alone. I believe that someone who is alone when he’s approached with the Word will be more receptive to it. He’s free from need to impress his friends, and his mind perhaps is more clear to receive the message. But I’ve found sometimes that’s not always the case.
Today, I walked up to a man who was leaning against a wall in downtown Wichita. I could see him from a long ways off – two blocks or more – and at first thought he was standing next to someone. But as I drew closer, I could see he was by himself. He appeared to be working on his cell phone. It was after 6 p.m., and the streets were quiet. There weren’t many people around. I walked up to him and stopped. I could see then he wasn’t working on a phone. Instead, it was some sort of game device.
“It’s just solitaire,” he said, addressing a question I hadn’t asked. He went back to playing the game, and I told him I wanted to pray for him. He looked at me and then looked away. “No,” he said. At this, I asked the all-important follow-up question, something I’d not done before. “Why not?” He looked straight at me and shook his head, nothing friendly in his tone. “I don’t do that kind of stuff,” he said, tapping his chest. “If I do my religion, I do it myself.” He tapped his chest again. And then he turned away.
I said a prayer for him as I walked back the way I had come. When I looked back, I saw he had resumed playing his game. Solitaire, indeed.
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