I saw someone’s soul today. No, it wasn’t through the lens of a camera, or a moment of insight that quickly passed: it was shown purposely to me.
This morning the whole IPS photography class went to Starbucks to start our day. (Our line stretched out the door.) Well I got my drink from the barista and headed outside the crowded store to enjoy my coffee. On the patio, I looked around trying to find a seat and took a good look at the people are ready seated.
The first I saw was a athletic looking man seated with a newborn baby strapped to his chest with two dogs laying comfortably at his feet. I wanted to sit at another table because I “disapproved” of the gold necklaces around his neck with the ear piercing. He looked up at me and offered me a chair, and because there was no other convenient place to sit, I decided to be “nice” and accept.
As I sat down one of his dogs came up to me and I having dogs of my own gave some attention. He smiled and was polite calling the dog back. I asked what type of dog he was, he told me, and I told him I had dogs of my own. I asked what his daughters name was he replied “Zoe.” I responded, “Wow! That means ‘Life!'” He smiled a knowing smile.
I asked if this was his first child he said “Yes.” During the next 20 minutes he totally opened up and told me that his wife had died during the pregnancy. He said with deep emotion and hushed bitterness that it was from a brain tumor. His bitterness pointed to the ignorant doctors that diagnosed her with a severe sinus infection. She was on life support until the baby was delivered. His eyes showed deep emotion and admiration as he smoothed the hair of his sleeping little girl.
“You’re really blessed to have her,” I said. He agreed and replied that he was so amazed that at how big she had gotten. “She is defiantly a miracle” he concluded. I was surprise at his view of life, but dumb founded when he followed this up with the statement, “Everything happens for a reason.” This is where God boggled my mind with this non-Christian who throughout the whole conversation had a strong understanding of the value of life, how short it was, and that if could be taken away.
He was used by God to show me that I wasn’t just here in Dallas, Texas, taking a photography course simply because I wanted to, or even at Starbucks because of some chance in interest on my part—God has brought me here. Right then, at that moment, He took me to a coffee shop so that I could talk to this man. And the amazing thing is, I almost missed this opportunity to talk about life—to see God’s heart through this man-because I almost chose to judge another person based only on his appearance.
—Prizewinning Photography Student Lydia Thornton
