As I felt the sun beaming down on my face, my toes slowly crunched up and sank as deep as they could in the warm sand. I looked around. It was beautiful. I imagined what the Garden of Eden looked like as I wondered if it was close to this. St. Lucia was gorgeous.
We had a wonderful honeymoon and were blessed with the opportunity of being able to get away with some time to relax and have a lot of fun. It was like paradise for us with the breathtaking views, the magnificent sunsets, and time to enjoy what the Lord has created in an island far away.
On the beach, we were approached by many Rastafarians. Many of them selling crafts they made or wanted you to think they made. Some offering to sell us less than legal means of recreation. Some were high…all were friendly and fun to talk with each day. Out of all of them, there is one that I have thought of everyday since my return, one that made my heart shed a tear.
His name is Alex. He wasn’t necessary a Rasta, but was a beach salesman. He walked the beaches selling pure Aloe Vera. He hoped each day for sun and beach goers with burns so his business would flourish. He stopped and talked with us for a bit. We talked with him about quite a few things for some time. He had a tattoo of a large spider on his arm and was telling us about it. He had gotten it at a very young age..a child really. Then he told us about the burn on his arm. “Branding?” I asked. I assumed it was some cultural ritual or something associated with a group he belonged to. “No, I was sitting around one night feeling sad about my friend dying, you know? I just started taking my joint and burning my arm.” Wow…the pain that was hidden underneath his tough exterior.
I felt bad for him. I wondered what potential his life held. I know it is more than getting high and walking the beach all day long. I hesitated to tell him that our hotel gave all guests a free bottle of Aloe. That was probably why he wasn’t selling much on our beach. He wasn’t aware of that and said he was off to another beach where he would have a better chance of selling. Off he went in search of another beach…in search of things his spirit longed for but will never find here on earth.
I wish I could write about what a great witness I was to Alex. I wish I could tell you that I sat him down and shared the Gospel with him. I wish I could tell you that his life was changed by something I did or said that day. I am ashamed to say I didn’t reach out like I probably should have. That night I felt guilty. I worried about Alex and wondered why I didn’t witness to him in some way.
Was it God answering my prayer to quiet me when I need it and to speak only when He feels I should? Or was it me passing up an opportunity …the Lord finding me unwilling to do His work that day. Sadly, I’m guessing it was the second of the two.
I ask you to say a prayer for Alex today. The least I can do now is to bless him in that way today as you read this. Please pray for this young St. Lucian boy. Pray he sees the One who died for him, the One who loves him, and the One who can heal his pain in a way he won’t find here on earth.
It isn’t the first time I have missed an opportunity and probably won’t be the last. I share it with you so you can be reminded to ask the Lord find you willing to do his work and that together we can reach all the Alex types out there. They are out there searching and it is up to us to respond when we come across them in our lives each day.
