Letting the Spirit Lead

A few weeks back, on a Friday night I was flying back from South Carolina to Omaha. Like always, I go via Atlanta and like always, I go to PF Chang’s for dinner. Why not, they know me there. My favorite dish is Kung Pao Shrimp with brown rice. When I don’t order it, the server asks if I am ill!

On this particular night I was sitting at the bar and laughing with the guy next to me on my left, he always orders Kung Pao Chicken. On my right was a guy who was not connected to the people around him but obsessed with his phone and somewhat beside himself.

After a while, he set his phone down on the bar and asked me to look at a text. From the content I could tell he was in an argument with the person on the other end of the text. He abruptly asked, “Am I an asshole?” A somewhat surprising question considering the brevity of our relationship. My response – I cannot judge that, as I do not know you. He proceeded to tell me the person on the other end of the text was his wife. She was not happy with him due to his travel in work and being away for so long. He asked me what I thought should be his response.

Not knowing exactly what to say, but allowing the Holy Spirit to lead at that moment, I suggested his reply should take the form of a “higher response”, one that does not stay in the heat of the battle, but rises above it. He asked what did I mean?

I then simply asked him if he had a faith. He said he believed in God. That was exactly when the Spirit led me to offer him one of my books, Walk This Way, Walk His Way. He was taken back. I said that you can either read it or throw it away, your choice. However, the type of response I am speaking of is one of love and respect for your wife and your relationship.

My time was up and I needed to catch my flight. As I was leaving, we shook hands and he told me that I just might have saved his marriage.