-excerpt from “One Life on Earth” by Fran Bosa
As I was writing this book, I felt discouraged, wondering if God really wanted to use me.As much as I desire it, I do not feel I am good enough for God to use me to bring many to know the Lord. Pondering all this, I went to a nearby park to pray. I was sitting on a park bench near the parking lot with my eyes closed, facing into the sun. I cried out to God,“I gave up my identity in a prestigious office and now feel useless sitting at home writing. If you can really use me and my past, you need to show me.”
Just then, I felt someone standing in my sunshine. I opened my eyes and saw a well-dressed man named Brian standing there. I said, “Hello.” He had a dog with him, so I asked about his dog. He said,“It’s not my dog. It belonged to my fiancé, but she committed suicide.” I told him how sorry I was to hear this, and then the conversation got intense. I asked him to sit down beside me and explain what had happened. After we talked for a bit, he looked at me and said, “I prayed for a sign from God a few minutes ago to see if He is real. I wanted to commit suicide, and this was going to be my last walk unless God showed me He is real.” I began to cry. I told Brian that God loved him very much. I also told him I had been praying on the bench to see if God could use me to witness for Him. I said, “Brian, you are an answer to my prayer.” He replied, “And you are a sign from God that He is real.” We cried, hugged, and talked some more. Two broken people found each other that day. We had been praying different prayers, and both were answered.
I stood up and said we needed to pray. I suggested we go over to a nearby tree for more privacy. Just then, a friend of mine named Ron saw me, and I waved him over. I told him what had happened, said that I was too emotional to pray, and asked if he could take over. The three of us stood arm in arm in a circle and began asking the heavens to open up and reach down to Brian in a supernatural way. Tears were shed as we embraced this man as if we were old friends.
Coincidence? No way! God was in this place and had arranged it all. I asked Ron to exchange numbers with Brian, so he could follow up with him over coffee. He did, and I dropped off a Jesus Calling devotional book by Sarah Young so he could have something to read and meditate on daily. I did not talk about this incident to anyone, but it had been an answer to my prayer, and it gave me the strength to continue writing.
One year later, I had friends over. We went to church, and then I said, “Let’s go to Mill Lake Park for a walk.” One of the others suggested we should just walk in my neighborhood, but I insisted we go to the park.
As we walked past the same bench, we encountered Brian walking the opposite way on the path. He yelled, “My angel? I am still here!” My friends kept on walking, and I asked Brian how he was doing. He was in the psych ward but was doing okay and was out for a walk in the park. He had been a good-looking businessman at one time, but he had suffered a failed marriage, financial losses, and other tragedies he just couldn’t deal with.
I called my friends back and introduced Brian to them. I then asked if I could share his story. He replied, “Yes,” and so I told the story how both of our prayers had been answered. Then I said, “Let us all pray for Brian.” Eight of us gathered around him and prayed for him and his journey in front of that bench that had changed his life forever.
People say there is no God. God is real. God heals, forgives, and changes lives. And, praise God, He ordains our steps when we ask Him to direct us daily. Every day when I wake up, I say, “Lord, where do You want these feet to go today? Whom can I speak to about You? Whom can I help?” I watch and listen everywhere I go. So many opportunities have presented themselves that I sometimes do not feel like praying that prayer. But then I need to stop and do as God asks me to.
Her brother was shot, her father died, her family lost their home, she lost a child, she suffered burnout, and she was near death three times. But this is also a story of perseverance and victory. After recounting her story, Fran Bosa explains what she has learned and where she has learned it. This book includes excerpts from the writings of Rick Warren, Joyce Meyer, Beth Moore, and other Christian leaders, whose words have encouraged and blessed Bosa and molded her into the woman she is today. One Life on Earth is available for purchase on Amazon or through her website.
