I had just settled down with my coffee and laptop when a man asked for the time.
“Three o’clock already?” he replied and got on the phone. Then he asked if I could check the Live Scores on Goal.com.
“Goal?” I asked.
“Yes, goal,” he said. He raised his hands, “Like Gooooo-aaaaa-lllll! Goal dot com.”
He wanted to know how Germany is doing.
He stood up to look over my shoulder. I scrolled down looking for Germany’s score while he chatted on the phone, and because I’m nosy and he was right next to me, I heard him confirm his account number and negotiate in dollars. That’s when I realized he was talking with a bookie.
He was a betting man embroiling me in his betting activities, and I just was not comfortable with that especially when Germany’s Live Score was not on the website and I felt his frustration rise. He asked me to scroll up and down and find Germany. Slower. Pause. Scroll. Slower. He’s looking for Germany.
“Germany,” he kept repeating. It just wasn’t there.
I wondered how far his frustration would reach when he grew impatient with me. I was about to tell him I had work to do when a tiny voice inside reminded me to breathe and be nice.
The man asked me to check Fifa.com, but also didn’t find what he wanted. Agitated, he mumbled a thanks and walked away.
Yes, I sighed in relief, but I watched him walked away with a slump on his shoulders and can’t help but wonder if he just went in deep waters.
I used to think I wasn’t a betting woman, but I am. We all are.
Whatever you have faith in is what you are betting on.
I don’t bet on sports, horses, or slots, but when I was 18 years old, I bet my future on a voice only I heard, from a God nobody can see, and it made a lot of people very uncomfortable because I threw myself in deep waters, refused to swim back to shore, and expected them to trust that I knew what I was doing.
Everyday I bet my life on God’s promises written long ago and the tender words He whispers to my heart and spirit today.
It doesn’t make sense to a lot of people that I believe God will provide financially. They’d rather I follow their formula for a successful career.
It makes people very uncomfortable that I believe God will provide a husband when I’m not…fishing, so to speak. There are plenty of fish in the sea and they’d rather I go out and get them myself.
I’m in deep waters and I bet that I’m going to be alright because I am in the arms of my Heavenly Father.
That’s crazy talk to a lot of people, while many others call it faith.
You’re betting on some things, too, based on faith. Maybe God called you into a new season, or He told you to stay in the one you’re in. Maybe you said yes or said no to an opportunity. Maybe you have people who think your actions don’t make sense. Maybe you have people who are uncomfortable with your decisions.
They say you’re crazy, but you know it’s faith. Hold onto faith because betting on God is betting on the surest thing.
I don’t condone gambling. Lives get ruined because it becomes a problem and easily turns into addiction. For help, call 1-800-522-4700 (US).
