Tom dazzles

                Karen was amazed. She stood and gazed at the old homeless man at the corner. She had been seeing him for many months now. He sat on the street corner, and she daily walked past him. But today he appeared different. He was dazzling, he had a glow on his face. Flabbergasted, Karen took a step closer to him to find out why. She felt like Moses in the Bible investigating the burning bush in the wilderness of Midian.

                                            The smile. It was the smile that dazzled on his face. She asked him, "What is your name?"

                                            He looked up and saw her. Karen was upwardly mobile, pretty and young. She always was in a hurry, moving from place to place with a frenetic pace. But this morning, she took the time to talk to this man. He frowned slightly. He was not expecting anyone to stop and talk to him. He smiled and said, "My name is Tom, Thomas. Ma'am. I am surprised that you found time to talk to me. I usually see you bustling by every day."

                                            He, the homeless man, the beggar, was talking perfectly in English! Fascinated, Karen decided that she has to find time and speak to him. She replied, "I would like to talk to you later this evening if I may."

                                            "I have all the time in the world," said Tom with a twinkle in his eyes.

                                            It was nearly 6 by the time Karen finished her work. She was a personal assistant to a Bank officer. Her boss was a kind man who let her off early as he knew she had to commute some distance to her home. She stepped on to the street and saw Tom. "Was it the same Tom?" she wondered. Tom had taken some trouble to make himself neat. He had somehow begged the next-door barber to give him a neat haircut and a shave. He wore a clean shirt and appeared presentable.

                                            Pleased to see this, Karen said, "Let's step into the nearby cafe and have some coffee while we talk."

                                            Feeling very strange, Tom sat at the edge of his chair. Even Karen felt a little self-conscious as she was sitting at a table with a homeless man, for the first time in her life. But she had seen a beauty, a radiant joy in him that morning, out of the blue, and was fascinated. "What made this man so different?" she wondered.

                                            They began to talk.

                                            "Tom, can you tell me about yourself?"

                                            "If you don't mind Madam, can you tell me why you are so interested in knowing about me?"

                                            "Well, I have been seeing you subconsciously all these days, Tom. But today I suddenly was struck by you. Your smile, your confidence, your attitude arrested me. I had to stop and take notice. Such a thing has never happened to me before in my life."

                                            The waitress came and took their orders. She looked sharply at Tom and curiously at Karen as she went back.

                                            She came back with their coffees and set the cups on the table and left them. She looked back once, curious at how a homeless man was sitting with a decent young woman. She decided to have an eye on this unlikely couple. "Will they create a problem for me?" she wondered.

                                            They were sipping their coffees. They continued to quiz each other too.

                                            "Well. I must say that a miracle has happened to me over the last few days, Madam." Tom started.

                                            "Please call me Karen, Tom."

                                            "Oh, Karen! I had a most amazing thing happen to me. As you might have casually noticed, I was unkempt and shabby most of the time I spent here, begging. Studying at the university, I was a blue-eyed boy just a decade ago. At the Uni I fell into bad friends and became a drug user. Totally addicted to smack and other drugs, I lost all I had and landed up here on the street. I was always wondering where and how I can get the next fix. That was my goal in life every single day and hour."

                                   "Really?"

                                   "You can ask anyone in the street about it. I was a confirmed addict, physically and psychologically dependent upon drugs. Somehow God kept me from crime till now. That would have been the logical step for me next."

                                   "Then what happened?"

                                   "I had an unusual encounter two days ago, Karen! One young woman came and picked me up from here. She said, 'Come with me to a meeting, and listen to this man.' Frankly speaking, I thought she will give me some food or money which I can use to exchange for drugs. Anyway, I went along with her."

                                   " What happened at that meeting, Tom?"       

                           "I expected little. Just sat and listened. There was some good soul music and then, they introduced the speaker. He started speaking. He was sharing from the Bible. He was talking about how the Lord Jesus Christ healed ten patients with the dreaded skin disease leprosy. Then the speaker told us that we were all like that. All of us, with no distinction, are sinners."

                                   "Really! And you believed him?"

                                   "Hold on. I continued to listen to him, as he had a winsome way of speaking. He said that the same Lord Jesus is alive today and would like to touch us and heal us of the leprosy of sin which is affecting all of us."

                                   "Aha," said Karen as she sipped her coffee. That was the second cup they had ordered. The waitress Karen saw was hovering around their table, quietly drinking in the words of Tom.

                                   "Something miraculous happened, Karen. I walked up and the speaker prayed for me. He asked me then to pray. All my sins and wrongdoings flashed in front of me. I repented of all of them. I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ and trusted Him to clean me of all my unrighteousness. I just went ahead. Kneeling, I prayed sincerely with repentance."

                                   Tom's face was glowing when he was saying this. Both Karen and the waitress noticed this. Karen said, "And then?"

                                   Tom sipped his coffee and then continued, "I felt great peace and calm wash over my soul as I knelt at that place. Joy welled into my heart. I started praising God and thanking Him. That was an unforgettable moment in my life. I encountered the Lord Jesus Christ, and He saved me from my sins."

                                   The waitress was wonderstruck as she listened. Karen asked, "What about your craving for drugs, Tom?"

                                   "That is the most wonderful thing, Karen. I lost it. I lost all my craving, my thirst, and my yearning for drugs. Why do I need drugs when the joy of the Lord was filling me? In fact, it overflowed from me. I could not help but smile. And that smile and glow in my face, caught your attention this morning, Karen."

                                   "Okay, what is the way forward for you Tom?" asked Karen as she continued to drain her cup.

                                   "I feel on the top of the world right now. But I know there is a lot of work for me to do. I need to get back to the mainstream of my life. I must work hard. With God's help, I will do it, Karen. I feel very different from what I was. These clean clothes and freshening up, made me look different. But I feel different from the inside out too! Thanks be to the Lord Jesus Christ!"

                                   Karen didn't know what to do. She smiled and put her cup down. The waitress came forward, "Pardon me, Tom, I happened to hear what you shared. Can I also pray and get deliverance from my sins?"

                                   Tom beamed. He said, "Why not Miss..."

                                   "Carol, I am Carol Tines."

                                   "Sure, Carol! There is another meeting this evening too. Shall I take you there at 8 pm today?"

                                   "Yes, Tom. I will be off duty by 7 pm. I will come with you. Can I get you both some hot coffee on the house, now?" She smiled and left them.

                                   "Would you also come with us tonight, Karen?"

                                   Karen paused, deep in thought. "Let me think for a few days, Tom. I need to process what you said. I am reminded of my mother who used to pray for me every day, as long as she lived. Maybe it is because of her prayers that I met you today. I will get back to you. Let us stay in touch Tom. Here is my number, call me after you settle down."

                                   Carol came with three cups of coffee. She sat with them. She had asked permission from the manager. Tom was smiling. "This is the first time I shared about how the Lord Jesus transformed me. I thank God that I was able to do that with you."

                                   Carol smiled, thinking of what will happen that night in the meeting. Karen continued to reminisce about her mother and how she had loved her. Both were deep in thoughts as they sipped their coffees.