Insider

July 14, 2019

What makes an outsider an insider? Does it come by crashing the party and forcing one’s way inside? Can the outsider become an insider by slipping in unobtrusively? Maybe if a law were passed, the government decreeing that the outsider be taken in. 

None of these would really work. A person can physically get inside, but to really be included, the insiders have to freely welcome the outsider in. 

Today was a banner day! After church, the Bailey clan gathered at Wright Beach in Dunkirk for our annual beach birthdays, celebrating the July birthdays together. It’s one of my favorite days of the year. We weren’t sure if we could pull it off this year. In years past, the beach stretched for almost a mile along the breakwater, reaching out some thirty yards before the you could wet your toes in the surf, but this year’s springtime rains have raised the water level at the beach, completely wiping out most of it. With the recent steamy weather, I figured by the time we arrived after church, the little beach that was left would be completely overrun by people seeking relief from the heat. When Linda and I arrived however, we were pleasantly surprised to see the beach almost deserted. The thermometer took a dive this morning, so apparently, people stayed away. It was sunny, but cool enough that even I, the shade lover, sat in the sun.

As we were cooking the burgers and dogs for lunch, a young man in a semi cab pulled up and motioned to us. I walked over, and he asked where he might park his cab. I pointed to the end of the short road, and he drove off. Soon, he was walking back towards us on his way to the beach, but he stopped to look over my sidecar motorcycle. We talked for a few minutes and I learned he is from Atlanta, and was taking the day off before delivering his load in the morning. I handed him one of the Gospel tracts I had printed up for just such occasions, and a few minutes later, he walked back to his truck.

I got to thinking, “Here we are, about to enjoy a meal together, and he’s all by himself in his cab.” So I walked down the road and invited him to dinner. A few minutes later, he shows up and spent the afternoon with us. “I’m on the road a month at a time, with four days home. It gets lonely, especially for a Black/Jamaican man,” he explained over a hamburg and potato salad. 

“Well, you don’t have to be lonely today.” Linda and I introduced him to the family, and we prayed over our meal, thanking God for his blessings and for our new friend, and as we sat, we talked about family. He was amazed when we told him we have been married for 49 years, and our kids for 25, 20, and 17, respectively. Later on, he asked me, “Are you followers of Jesus?” 

“We sure are!” I told him. Later in the afternoon, he asked how long I have been born again. When I told him since I was twelve, he responded that it’s been about seventeen years for him. He talked at length with our son Nate, and with Alex, our granddaughter. I invited him home for the night so he could sleep in a real bed, but he thought he should stay with his cab. We gathered around him to pray and bless him before we left. 

On the way home, we stopped in Cassadaga to catch the concert on the beach and spend some time with our granddaughters Abi and Izzi who were lifeguarding, which led to conversations with about a dozen other friends before it was time to go home. What an amazing day! I preached about it this morning, and got to live it this afternoon: God is good, all the time.