The woman sat next to me at the bar across from a car wash on Santa Monica Boulevard. Years later this same bar was made famous in a song. I can’t remember who sang it, but I am sure this is the bar she sang about. The woman now sitting next to me was dressed to the nines, expensive suit and shoes. She certainly seemed out of place in this bar and at this time, 10:30 AM on a Tuesday.
I was there because of a ‘rain out’. We had started our day working on the new Hilton in downtown Santa Monica but by 8:00 it was pouring, so I called it for the day. Most of my crew had headed to Sepulveda Boulevard to hang out at the strip joints lining that street in the valley, I had declined. I just wanted a couple of quiet drinks and when I was in this part of town, this was the place to be for a good drink in peace. Today was no different.
I was drinking my third Screwdriver when the sharp dressed lady had come in and sat next to me. There was no reason for her to do so, the bar was empty except for a few of the regulars who were near the low playing TV at the end of the bar. I was pretty sure she had an agenda, it made me cautious. Even so, not looking at her in the bar mirror was hard to do and soon enough we made eye contact. With that she smiled, and I reluctantly smiled back. The door was open.
Still looking in the mirror, she said, “I have seen you in here before.” That surprised me. I had not taken her for someone who would frequent this place, so I said more out of curiosity than need for conversation, “Really? You drink here a lot?” With that she smiled and maybe because she had seen my surprise said, “Yeah, I live in the area and I come in here now and again. Maybe you just don’t see me that often in this get up.” Pointing at her clothes. “Some time in my line of work you need to dress the part.” With that she winked at me in the mirror and laughed at what was now the expression on my face. “What, you thought I was a business executive?” More laughter. “No, my trade is more lucrative then that!” I got the picture but was to embarrassed to say it out loud, she had no problem, “It is ok, I see you thinking the word or words. Let’s just say I am in the escort business.” More laughter.
Soon we were sitting in silence again, then she asked, “Where is the crew of guys you normally come in with? The big Hispanic dude and the surfer type you shoot pool with. Not with you today?” I told her where they had headed, and she just shrugged and nodded her head. But now I was curious again, “How do you know so much about me and I can’t even remember seeing you before?” She shrugged again, “In my business it is good to be a people watcher. I separate people in groups, especially guys, ‘safe’ and ‘bad’.” Before she said more, I said, “So you think I am one of the ‘safe’ guys?” She nodded knowingly and responded, “Oh yeah. You probably think you are one of the bad ones. But I see your heart, man, you have a kind heart.” Then she said something I would have never expected her to say, “Safe guys, like you, have too much God in them to be really bad. And believe me I know the difference. I have seen it. You have a touch of God in you.”
This was the first time in many years anyone had said something like that to me. My years of substance abuse and dealing with bad people had really tainted my view of myself. Yet somewhere in me, even then, I felt a spark. It is strange how God works. All along my path I have had experiences like the one I am describing today. Glimmers of encouragement in a sea of hopelessness. And I can testify that God can use us all in this way even if we do not acknowledge who he is.
The truth is, my friends, that God is always reaching out to us even as we are wallowing in the sins of this world. Here is His promise, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10) The all-knowing, all seeing God is always there. If you doubt that today, I want to assure you that He was able to save me, an addict, a drug dealer, a man who abandoned his child. You too have a touch of God in your heart. I call it the Holy Spirit and he is just waiting for you to respond. Do it today!
Strange thing about this encounter with the woman at the bar, I never remember seeing her before or did I ever see her again. Can God sent someone in the likeness of a prostitute to encourage me? Well, He used Rehab the prostitute to help Israel conquer Jericho and she is in the lineage of Jesus. Who she was I will never know until I am in God’s Kingdom, but I do know that her words were a soothing salve? I could not, at the time, fully believe them yet they gave me an assurance that later became part of my acceptance of Jesus Christ. I was blessed sitting in a bar on Santa Monica Boulevard, maybe I should write a song about that.
Blessings John,
2/20/19
