sunglass hut

I heard a radio interview years ago. It’s terrible of me, but I cannot recall the person’s name or the book they were promoting. All that remains in my head is this anecdote:

Traveling through an airport one day, this Christian decided to pass the time by shopping for sunglasses. He browsed a while, picked out a pair, paid for them, then left. The whole time, he had it in his head, that he should probably say something to the clerk about Jesus. Well, now it was too late. He had just stepped out of the shop, product in tote, and there was no natural reason to reenter.

Except… each step he took away from that shop felt like he was reinforcing a disobedient attitude to God, and there was a continual prodding that he felt inside, telling him to turn around and go back in the store, so he could share the good news about Jesus Christ with the clerk.

That clerk was oblivious to the civil war going on inside the shopper. He simply stood there, in the empty shop, reading his newspaper.

Convinced that the guilty feeling would not go away by itself, he nervously turned around and reentered the sunglass shop. The clerk was aware that the customer returned, but didn’t even look up from his newspaper.

Stammering, the Christian said, “Um, it sure is something how these little glasses protect us from the harmful rays of the sun.”

Still not looking, he mumbled “Yuup.”

Our Christian friend continued, “Wouldn’t it be something if we could find something to protect us from the very fires of hell?”

That’s what came out of his mouth, and now he wished that he could just disappear; he was so embarrassed! He thought, “What a lame segue!!”

The clerk slowly folded his paper, placed it down, and with a mystified look said, “I was just wondering the exact same thing.”

That day, this very clerk asked Jesus to be his Lord and Savior.

God will use His children to reach people he has chosen for salvation, not because of, but sometimes despite their technique. But if one remains silent, God can always use someone else. This shopper was able to “see” the power of God flow from his mouth to the clerk’s heart! I’ll bet he does not regret it. Neither will you.