Leaning against the wooden porch fence at the wayside barbecue stand in his crisp lavender shirt and black dress pants, he explained that he’d just come from the church up the road. With a defined zest for life, the man spoke about local news and history to us that stood in line for our Sunday supper takeout. Then stepping forward with a bounce, the boyish old man announced that he was 85 and not retired.

We gasped. Incredible! I wanted to connect with him more.

Since he’d just come from church, I asked his favorite scripture. With animation and child-like wonder, he quipped, “It’s hard to choose—what about you?”

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life,” I answered.

With bright dancing eyes, he continued, “For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.”

Then the man in the lavender shirt stepped forward and handed me a tract— a simple, colorful explanation of salvation.

The greatest gift.

And I accepted it.

Oh, the kinship of fellow soldiers.

Not remarkable or wealthy by worldly standards, this man’s life stood out and overflowed with joy and hope for the future. His choices effected me and spilled into my journey.

The pathway tract to life abundant that leads to heavenly gates and escapes the flames of hell is simple but unrelentingly narrow.

Lavender shirts are not required; but eventually, you must retrieve the tract from the trash bin and read it.

©️Bonnie Saul Wilks