Over Refreshed

I sat on an outdoor couch one day. It was about two o'clock in the afternoon when a policeman approached me. He just stood there, towering over me, so I turned my face up to see what was going on. He checked me out with a sharp, professional gaze, and just as I was about to ask him what he wanted, he spoke:"Young man, you appear to have had an over-refreshed time here on the couch.""Excuse me?" I said, looking him straight in the eye and quickly following up. "What do you mean by over-refreshed?""Well, I mean you look like you are under the influence of some substance, and I think you've had way too much alcohol," he said."So that makes me 'over-refreshed'—as in, feeling too good?""Now, hear me out. There is no need to make a scene out of this.""No, of course not," I said, completely relaxed. "I thought you actually meant what you said. I only had one beer with my lunch, and now I'm just sitting here, hanging out.""Hanging out and sitting all alone," he muttered. But the word seemed to echo in his mind. He looked at me, visibly intrigued by my calm demeanor. Over-refreshed... he thought. He leaned in a bit, genuinely impressed by the phrase. He steadied his posture and asked with real interest, "Tell me, what exactly do you mean by 'over-refreshed'?"Clever man, I thought to myself, matching his interest. "Can a person really be more than refreshed, healthy, and feeling good? When you mixed your police opinion with alcohol, it sounded a bit funny—like a brilliant pun."The policeman paused, staring at me as if he had just hit a wall of profound wisdom. A sudden look of fascination broke across his face. "It is actually very clever indeed, when I think about it that way. How can someone be like that?" he asked, completely dropping his interrogation tone."I am sitting here talking with Jesus," I replied firmly. "I am very meticulous with words, and God's Word in particular. Between Him and me, 'over-refreshed' is a deeply positive reality. When Jesus makes me over-refreshed, it is a total monument of truth. Saying I 'feel good' is a massive understatement, and it is nothing outside the law—even if I should become even more over-refreshed than I already am."He stood there, completely captivated, and you could almost hear his thoughts spinning. It was as if a heavy realization hit him: You are sitting here talking with someone, and I was drawn to this spot because I was meant to hear this."Exactly. You know more than I first realized," I said. "Have you ever heard about Jesus before?""As a matter of fact, I really have," he replied, his voice filled with a new kind of respect."If you have, then you also know about Peter and the others who were accused of inebriation. The crowds thought they were drunk, when in fact they had received the Holy Spirit and were speaking in other tongues. They were described as being over-refreshed too. Peter told the crowd it was only the morning, though they were still allowed a glass of wine in the evening.""Yes, I know that story, but never in the way you are presenting it," he said, leaning in closer, completely hooked on the conversation.Now he stood leaning back slightly, swinging his arms behind his back like someone who wanted to listen to me for hours. So I went on, telling him that this Jesus had sent His Spirit to make a person carefree, in a way that resembles how alcohol affects the system. He nodded his head in deep agreement, careful not to interrupt my preaching, as I continued:"The institutional churches are of the opinion that even if Jesus says it is okay, it is somehow wrong anyway. That is why I sit out here and enjoy myself in the name of my Lord. And that is why you came by me and are standing here right now. Because you have an open heart, and you have asked about Jesus. He brought you here.""Is that really possible?" he asked, completely amazed. He admitted that his life was exactly as I had just described. In theory, in all professional cases, he was supposed to keep his distance, but he couldn't walk away from this."I understand. You are on duty right now, but it is perfectly fine to talk with me because I am an apostle, and I often spend time with people who want to be saved from this malicious world and from eternal death.""What can I say... I want to ask so many things, but I don't even know how or what right now," he said, completely wide open to the message."You want to be like me, don't you? You want to be just as over-refreshed and blessed as I am, and feel as healthy as a man can possibly feel? Even if your friends might think you've had too much.""Yes, I want that. The whole package.""Let's pray," I said.Right then and there on that couch, this policeman got saved and born again in a wave of great heavenly grace. He became so happy that he was practically glowing and shining with joy. He said, "I want what you have. Whatever this is."I prayed for him once more, confirming his confession of Jesus as his Lord and Savior, whom he had already received. I told him to give up his reliance on human linguistic knowledge and, like a child, transfer his tongue to his newborn spirit. He agreed. As I laid my hand upon him and released his tongue, he began to speak fluently in other tongues.He confessed again, but this time he laughed and said he felt pretty drunk, and that nobody could argue otherwise because we were talking loudly and passionately."What is your name?" I asked."Ludvig," he said."My name is Thomas," I replied.Just at that moment, we heard his name shouted from a distance: "Ludvig!"The shouting came from his colleagues, who were off-duty that day and had been celebrating at a nearby pub. He was about to stand up, but I gently pulled him back down onto the couch. Even though they were under the influence of alcohol, I didn't want him to look bad or feel compromised in his police uniform, so I told him to stay alert and relaxed."Are you guys having a good time?" Ludvig called back to them, keeping his cool."Yes, we really are! Take care!" they called out, wobbling away down the street.Once they were gone, I asked him for his contact details. When we finally separated—he going his way and I going mine—we turned and looked back at each other, leaving behind the couch where the whole process had started."Take care of yourself now," he said. I couldn't have been more satisfied in that moment, watching that policeman in his uniform trying to walk as straight and professionally as he could. I knew right then that Jesus always puts His blanket over a man when he gets over-refreshed in the Spirit.A couple of days later, I heard someone call my name while I was walking downtown."Thomas!"I barely recognized Ludvig at first because he was in casual clothes. There he stood with a massive smile, holding his wife's hand."I have told everyone about Jesus, and now Gunilla is saved too!""Yes, I am," his wife said, beaming.I asked Ludvig if he had told Gunilla that she could be over-refreshed as well."Yes, I have. That is for sure!"She laughed, and for a second, she looked as if she might fall over from the joy, but they grabbed onto each other and just stood there in deep gratitude to the Holy Spirit. They looked so completely in love with each other.I am always going to remember this policeman and his family. And one day, when we are all in heaven together, we will look back and remember the good times. That was something truly special, and a very special season in our lives.Thank you, Jesus, for your whimsical ways…