The Gift to God
By D. L. Jones
from the City of Souls
My mentor came to me. He said, “Today we make a gift to God.” I thought that was an incredible idea. I would, very much, like to make a gift to God. The only problem I could think of was what in the world would we have, or what could we get that God could use? With these thoughts, still, I felt unworthy to question my mentor. If a gift to God we can do then I happily go to do just that. So, I followed my mentor knowing nothing more than that. We go to make a gift to God.
We arrived at a small run down mobile home. It was sitting on an ill kept weed strewn lot. There was a dirt path up to the home, which was being used for a driveway. I was so confused. We came to make a gift to God. I had to wonder that my mentor had gotten something wrong. God was here, in this little, shabby mobile home? But then, our gift was just as strange to me. We, first, had stopped by the grocery store and we picked up eight bags of just some general stuff, you know stuff like milk, eggs, cheese, bread, hamburger meat, and cookies, just stuff like that.
A man in his late twenties stepped out of the mobile home, then a little boy about eight, a woman also late twenties, and finally a young girl about five years old. It was an expectant, pregnant moment. The man was standing to the far right, the little boy a little behind and just to the left of the man. The woman was standing on the left with a young girl looking, but trying not to be seen, around her Mom’s skirts. We were standing in the dirt drive. I was looking around really puzzled. I couldn’t help but keep thinking, where was God? All I could see was these people and the old mobile home. We were standing facing the family, and they in turn, were staring at my mentor and me. That was when the strangest thing happened.
I was standing in front of our home looking at these two men in front of me. Ellyn, my wife, was standing to my right, and the children were behind us. These two men have brought us a gift of food. How could they have known how hard times are right now? I was laid off, a couple weeks ago, and we are flat broke. I have a job at the loading docks at Affiliated Foods that starts on Monday. Right now, though, we are at the end of our rope. There is nothing left to tide us over until I get my first paycheck.
Then, I was standing behind Dad looking at the sacks of stuff those two men brought. I wonder what could be in them. Cookies maybe or milk could be I sure would like some cookies and a tall glass of cold milk.
Next, I was hiding behind Mom trying to keep out of sight of the two men that brought us some stuff in sacks. I wonder what it could be? I keep trying to peek out when I see they were not looking. I really want to see what they brought.
John got laid off a couple of weeks ago. He works so hard. There just never is much left over, but we have always managed to get by. Not this time though. I had been in the kitchen crying in front of the window over the sink. I was crying because there is nothing left in the house for dinner. I just didn’t know what to do. If I told John there was nothing left for dinner it would just hurt him. He always tries so hard to take care of us. He has found a new job, but it will be two or three weeks before he will get his first check and there is nothing, even for dinner tonight. I was just sick; I was standing in front of the sink looking out of the window with a sick feeling down in the pit of my stomach when I saw these two men unloading all those groceries, groceries they say they brought to us as a gift. It must be a gift from God. As I stand in the yard with John by my side, and our children behind us all I can do is stand here mute and stare at those two men and the groceries they have brought us.
Once again I was standing beside my mentor. Our gift to God on the ground before us, all I could do was to stare at the family before us.
Now, I know where God is. How could I have ever not known?
© 2009, Lekatt. All rights reserved.
