I started the day in Northern Georgia. I had pushed my way along I95 through the Carolinas amid many rest stops and was exhausted by the time I reached the Virginia border. I stopped at the state welcome center to see if I could find a cheap Day’s Inn which had a business center—a computer that permits one to go on line to check e-mail, etc. The three that were called did not have this service and the center was closing. I grabbed a flyer with motel discounts and started North again.
I came to a small town about 50 miles up with several motels and an apparent price war and found something cheap. After settling in and getting a shower after the hot ride (my car has no air conditioning) I asked the desk clerk for a place to eat. I had been living on fast and canned food for several days and wanted a cooked meal.
The restaurant he recommended was across the street, but a look at the menu told me that it was way too expensive.
I decided to drive down the state road and it appeared that as soon as I left the motel area, it was deserted. But less than a mile from the hotel was Nanny’s, and it was packed with cars, a sure sign of good food, service and prices. It turned out to be an all you can eat place that was only open on weekends. The price was right, about half of what the other restaurant was.
I had my doubts about it because people were milling around outside waiting to be seated. But I went inside and was delighted to learn that if I took a seat at the counter, I would be seated immediately. I sat down and ordered my drink. Then went to the buffet. This was southern food – barbque, fried chicken and much more. There was a carving board and there were veggies like collard greens among the other fare. Gravy was everywhere in many forms.
I had a nice slab of roast beef carved for me and grabbed some meat loaf, mashed potatoes and green beans and sat down at the counter.
The person seated next to me was an old black man. Almost as soon as I started eating, a voice inside me said to pay for his meal. I looked at his hat and saw he was an Army vet. He was about my age and I struck up a conversation about where he served. Turned out we had both been at Ft. Dix and Ft. Knox. He served his two years as a draftee and then stayed in the Reserves for twenty years. He was a year older than me and looking forward to turning 65 when he would not only get his social security but an Army pension too.
He had spent his life working in menial jobs such as at retail outlets and it turned out he was also an assistant pastor at a small Black church down the road a bit. He said folks called him “Doc” because he had received a doctorate from his church denomination. The voice inside me continued to say pay for his meal. So as I went to get a second round of the best meat loaf I’ve ever had, I stopped at the cashier, handed him some money and pointed out the man. I said the meal was on me and to refuse to accept payment. Seems this sort of thing happens in this restaurant often and the cashier had no problem with it.
When I returned to the counter, we talked some more. He told me of his church and a little more about his life. He finished eating and he took out his checkbook. I watched as he struggled with the idea of writing a check for his food. He certainly didn’t have enough cash on him. I suspected there wasn’t much in the bank either. He asked the waitress if he could pay by check and she told him it was OK. He then went to the cashier and I watched as the cashier told him the bill was paid.
He came over to thank me and I told him that he had served his country and he was serving the Lord and it was my pleasure to be able to bless him. He gave me a huge smile and left me to my thoughts and another helping of meat loaf. It was wonderful.
That night, as I thought about him and many other things, the thought occurred to me that Jesus was like that too. He paid for our sins so we would not have to worry when the check came due if we had enough to pay. It had been a long time since I had done something like that. The cost of both meals was less than I would have paid at the restaurant the clerk recommended. I slept very soundly that night.
