A man’s man with a farm in Bremen, Georgia was enjoying his lunch when he was stopped mid-meal by the sight of a rough-looking stranger right outside the window. After watching him for a brief moment to see what he was up to, the cowboy acted fast when he realized what was going on. Now, this man will never be the same.

Johnny Cook lives on a peaceful farm property, which he works hard for, and he takes pride in his slice of the southern countryside. Recently, he’s been on the search for additional farmhands to help with a landscaping project that he needed done and advertised what he was looking for. However, even with the word out, he didn’t get the response he had hoped for.

Resolving to just do the work himself with the help of his two sons, he drove into town to get the materials for the task, when he stopped for some lunch at the Waffle House. As Cook and his two sons were sitting inside, they noticed a scrappy man approaching the restaurant, stopping short of the door and taking a seat on the sidewalk. He was filthy, covered from head-to-toe in tattoos, much to the disgust of other Waffle House patrons who were bothered by him hanging out near the door.

Cook overheard their complaints, but before they could finish criticizing this thug-looking transient, the cowboy knocked on the window to get the guy’s attention. Using hand gestures, Cook asked him if he was hungry to which the hitchhiker responded with a “yes.” He signaled for him to come inside and then told him to order whatever he wanted from the menu, letting him know that he would take care of the bill. After a little shyness, he ordered a meal and sat down alone, but what he did next took Cook by complete surprise.

Despite not having eaten in days, the transient didn’t immediately dig into his food — he stopped and prayed first. Cook then struck up a conversation with him and found out that he hadn’t always been homeless, having fallen on hard times got him there, but his faith was keeping him going. He said that all he wanted to do was work, but he couldn’t because his appearance gets him turned down for every job.

The cowboy told the man to meet him back at this restaurant at 7:45 the following morning if he really wanted to work. The tattooed transient agreed to it, saying that he’s been sleeping on church porches and praying to God for work and food and that the Lord had led him to that Waffle House, telling him to wait there. Cook was an answer to his prayers, providing him both a meal and work.

Holding true to his word, he was at the Waffle House the following morning when Cook’s sons picked him up and brought him back to the farm, where he was paid to work all day in the blistering heat, laying sod. Even though it was a job he didn’t know how to do, he immediately learned and didn’t quit until all 10 pallets of grass were put down.

“He worked his heart out and was proud of what we had accomplished. I paid him and took him to a local motel. Where he can stay the night and I’ll pick him up again tomorrow,” Cook wrote on social media in hopes of spreading the message to not judge someone by their appearance.

This guy wasn’t looking for a handout, he was praying for a leg up and faithfully waited for that opportunity. While he could have fallen victim to the assumptions that others had of him and lived a life of crime to “fix” his situation, he knows that true happiness only comes when faith is combined with hard work.

SOURCE