I had lunch yesterday with a good friend at Thai Thai, a simple yet savory buffet of all things—you guessed it—Thai. I love lunches where not only the food is good but the "soul food" is even better. Being with my friend provided the soul food. Things "unseen" were discussed (consumed?) right alongside the pad thai and chicken curry. Now that's what all meals should be like. And then it happened. The word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. Just as I was about to stand up to pay the bill, Charlie, the waiter, placed a plastic platter of change on the table. I looked up at him confused. I hadn't paid yet so he must have placed someone else's change on our table. I began to express my confusion when he simply smiled that inscrutable asian smile at me (I should know, I've got 100% Japanese American blood). He pointed to the change and nodded. I still didn't get it until I looked carefully at the change. It was the exact amount of change that I would get had I walked up to the cash register and paid the bill: $5.20. The bill was for $15.05 and I had $20.25 in my hand. Then it dawned on me: Charlie had (1) observed me pull out the cash (including the quarter) from my pocket to pay the bill, and (2) knowing the amount I owed, (3) went to the cash register, (4) got my change, (5) walked over to my table and (6) smiled as he (7) placed the change before my confused face. I have a feeling the word gets fleshed out before me every day like this, but the question is do I have eyes to see and ears to hear it. Charlie was a living example of the "word made flesh" in more ways than one. Not only did he serve me beyond the call of duty (at least what we would expect of a "waiter"), but he also raised my awareness of God's presence by his awareness of mine.
A song of ascents.
I lift up my eyes to you, to you whose throne is in heaven. As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he shows us his mercy. Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy on us, for we have endured much contempt. We have endured much ridicule from the proud, much contempt from the arrogant.
—Psalm 123
Chris and I had date night at Thai Thai and our waiter wrote our names in Thai for us. One of the letters in my name looks like a flower. He also drew a cartoon dog on our "doggie bag!"
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