The Man In The Doorway.

I was sent to work on a building site sometime back in the 1990’s. I was the first one of our team to be sent on to the job to start preparing the site for the other to follow a week or two later. Belfast was experiencing one of its more “excitable” periods at that time and the boss had a chat with me about it.

“I know that you’re ok with the area and that you’re sensible enough to deal with any situation should it arise”, he says. “But just take care and be safe. There are other workmen on the site, but you’ll still be on your own. Stay safe until we get there in a week or two”.

Aye. Like I needed to be reminded of that.

Anyway. I got onto the job and started working away getting things ready for the rest of the squad following behind me. One day, I was sitting in the tea room. Everyone was sitting around quietly reading their newspapers and drinking their tea. No mobile phones, tablets, or electronic gizmos in those days. I was just enjoying my own tea and sandwiches, just aimlessly gazing around the tearoom. Men were sitting, some in groups, some alone. Eating sandwiches, biscuits, drinking their tea, etc.

In one corner there was a group of men playing cards. I happened to let my gaze sweep round to it and I noticed one guy sitting right in the very middle of the group but not playing cards. He was sitting, bolt upright, just looking at the game but not taking any part in it at all. He was quite conspicuous and caught my attention for some reason. A thought came into my mind to be cautious around him.

Just as I started to take my gaze away his eyes met mine. I gave the most imperceptible of nods of acknowledgement and brought my gaze back down to my newspaper. I paid no more attention to them during the next couple of days but just got stuck into my work and minded my own business.

I was working away a couple of days later, Talking out loud about what needed to be done with the job – running cables, drilling holes, tracking walls – and all these plans were interspersed with lines from an old gospel hymn of some sort. There I was busily talking, singing, talking, singing, pulling cables, drilling holes, pulling more cables, talking and singing.

As I turned around I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. There in the doorway, standing right in the middle of it was the guy from the card game. He stood there, his arms reaching out to both sides of the door frame like Samson going to bring the house down and he was staring straight at me. My heart skipped a beat as I gave him a nob and kept on working.

He looked at me and spoke in a strong voice, “Is that a hymn I hear you singing?” “Yes”, I said. “Just singing away quietly to myself as I get my work done”.

“I thought I recognised it”, he said. “We were singing it in our church the other night”. He took a step forward and reached out and grabbed my hand. Such a firm handshake it was, too. My knees didn’t know whether to tremble or crumble.

As it turns out he was part of a work squad and his colleagues were all sitting at another table close by. At the next teabreak they all came and said Hi. Smiling and nodding. Asking about local churches, talking about their own church, etc. (They were from a small town in the countryside and were just as nervous about working in Belfast as anyone else).

Remember, you might only think you’re on your own. But God knows differently. So many times over the years I have walked into new and uncertain scenarios only to find that God’s people were already there. Thankfully the rest of the job went smoothly. But I’ll never forget the man in the doorway.