"Do you know how to write in cursive?" He asked me

It is no surprise that I live in coffee shops. I crave the smell of expresso and willingly pay $4.50 for a cup of coffee while I find a quiet table to read or write. Today, my subject was going to be "Thanking God for a normal day." As I found a quiet table in the corner, I opened my journal and began scripting my thoughts. There was a guy maybe a little older than me sitting next to me, and I could sense his unease as I sat down. Subconsciously, I figured I was crowding his space, so I did my best to sit closer to the wall.

"Do you know how to write in cursive?" He asked me.

Understanding that he had seen me in thought, I turned towards him and admitted I did. I shared that I loved writing and was disappointed that so many people came to coffee shops to stare at computer screens. Then, I noticed he had a Bible in front of him. Still sensing his unease, I decided not to bring it up and continued to write my thoughts... in cursive.

"Do you practice faith?" was his next question.

It was a bold question for someone who I had just met, but throughout the years, I have realized that bold questions deserve courageous answers. Closing my journal, I turned and shared with him the denomination I was apart of, some of the walks I personally shared with the Lord, and why I believed that faith was important. I returned the question, asking him if he was a Christian.

"I think that I am too far gone and too unclean to say I practice faith" was his exact response.

"Isn't that the whole point of faith?" I stated. "The whole reason the Lord gave His one and only son was BECAUSE we are unclean.. Because we are full of sin.. Because we are all 'too far gone'.. The whole reason we practice faith is because we believe that we will be cleaned. We believe that we are worthy in the Lord's eyes. Being a Christian is not about being clean or fitting a mold. Being a Christian is about recognizing our shortcomings and knowing where our redemption comes from."

The conversation continued for the next hour and a half with subjects like the community of saints, seeing the Lord in average days, supernatural wonders in the modern day, miracles, mental health, you name it.. we talked about it. He courageously shared and trusted me with struggles he was walking with and things he was unsure about. And I just kept praying the Lord would give me the words I needed.

At the point of the conversation where we talked about demons, I realized the two girls around us had taken out their headphones and were intently listening to our now very in depth conversation. Later after he left, they told me they had listened to every word we said and could not believe he had felt so comfortable asking me those type of questions.

"I think God makes it easier to do good for others if we have the desire to" He told me.

As time passed, he stood up, packed his things, shook my hand and wished me well. I told him that I enjoyed our conversation and would pray for him. His eyes shifted towards my neckline where I was wearing my cross necklace, nodded his head, and left the coffee shop.

Then.. I continued to write my thoughts in cursive and thanked God for a normal day.