Your Imagination #54

I woke up today and started my day just like I would any other day. I put on my deodorant, I got dressed, brushed my teeth, and fixed my hair. I then went to check in on my boys to see if they had finished getting themselves ready as well. But something was different. When I walked into the living room, I saw my youngest child standing there. But I didn’t just see him, on the edges of my visual field, I could see statistics about his life. It reminded me of a scene from a movie, as if I was a robot or a machine. It startled me so much, that I let out a scream. I asked him if he was seeing anything different when he saw me, and he stated, “no.” Imagine the shock that comes to a parent, when you can see at what age your child will begin dating, at what age your child will lose his virginity, and at what age your child will lose his life.

This new superpower was not only visible when I saw my youngest child, but it was also present when I came into contact with both of my other boys as well. Due to this frightening experience, it caused me to be dazed and confused. I began to ask myself, how did this happen? What did I do? Why is it that I am the only one who can see this information? The boys had to bring my focus back to the fact that we were running late, so we left the house and headed off to school. 

As I dropped the boys off to school, I could again see the statistics around the edges of my visual field when I saw their classmates. I had to close my eyes. I wanted to focus on something else until my boys were completely out of the vehicle so that I could leave the school parking lot without seeing the statistics on every child that was entering the school.

I left the school and headed for the grocery store. Upon walking into the store, I was surrounded by several people of various ages. Most of the statistics displayed for the year of their death was closer to 2045. That didn’t bother me as much, because that was still so far away. But just as I was about to head to the checkout counter, I saw a young woman that had a toddler in her cart. When I looked at the lady, I saw her different statistics, but the one that caught my eye was her statistic that stated that she only had 10 days left to live. I was horrified. How could this young lady only have 10 days left to live? She has a toddler that still needs her, and she is still so young.

I toiled over my thoughts trying to decide what I should do. I knew that I could not tell the lady about my superpower. Because, I don’t even know how long this superpower will last. I could not tell her how many days she has left to live because she will think I am insane. She may possibly even slap me. As a christian, I was stricken with grief because I didn’t even know anything about this lady. What if I didn’t do anything? Could I live with myself if I let her pass me by and not say anything to her?

I decided that I could not let pass by this lady without saying anything. I began by smiling at the toddler, and used that as a way to begin talking to this lady. I asked her how old her baby was, and she stated that her little girl was 14 months old. I asked a few more questions about her daughter, and then I paused for a moment. I told her, I don’t intend to make you feel uncomfortable, but I need to tell you that God loves you. I reassured the lady, that I was not asking her to join my church or pressure her into an experience that she was not comfortable with. I explained to her, that I believe that God had sent me to the store today with a purpose of making a difference in someone else’s life today. I did not know why I was given this superpower, but I knew that I had to turn this superpower into a positive experience instead of a depressing one. 

I asked the lady if I had her permission to tell her one more thing, and she said yes. I told her that I wanted to do something for her that I had never done before. I opened my wallet and I handed all of my cash over to her. I explained that I felt as if she was facing something in her personal life and I felt the need to tell her to focus on her family. I encouraged her to go on a small trip or to go to the zoo with her daughter. Of course she tried to refuse the money, but I insisted that she should keep it. I put my items back on the shelf, and I immediately left the store. 

As I was getting into my car, tears began to flood my eyes. I did not ask for this experience, but it did teach me to open my eyes to the world around me. I wondered how many other times had I passed by someone in the store who had very little time left on earth and they didn’t even know it. I learned to not be focused on all of my troubles that I cannot see what someone else is facing or is soon to face. I said a prayer for the lady that day. I prayed that God would allow her to feel comforted by this gesture and use it to spend quality time with her family. I also prayed that God would bring peace to her family if the statistic was correct about the date of her death.