NYC Favor

Recently Dan and I were talking and this story came up. I had not thought about it in years but realized I had never told it in this format and could not resist telling it. It was a funny story.

When I graduated high school, my grandparents bought me a ring. It was out of a LeVian collection. LeVian is a well known jewelry designing legacy, and I am a big fan their work. This ring is still very sentimental to me.

When I was in college, I had my hand on a door frame and it was caught on the door hinge and literally ripped off my hand. The shank was broken. So I sent it off to a particular store that was to handle repairs for that company. They did replace the back of the ring but they never put the designer’s insignia in the ring. So I took the ring back and told them this. They solved this problem by forging the insignia in the ring. I was not a happy customer.

Later that year some friends and I decided to travel a bit over spring break. We ended up spending time in the Pocono’s, New Jersey, and New York City. I figured since we were in NYC for a day then I would go and visit the designer and tell them what happened. That maybe I could get my ring properly fixed. I figured they had a showroom in NYC, and I would be visiting a jeweler. When I called information and asked for the location of the designer, I never imagined what would happen.

After searching in several buildings and getting told I wanted a different building, my friends and I finally arrived at an office building where they would only let me in. The secretary kept looking at me befuddled as I explained to her what had happened and confirmed that it was in fact a LeVian office I standing in. She started looking my information up in the computer, and found me. While all this was going on, she motioned to a man on the phone in the back office. He came out of this room, and reached for my ring. He began looking at the ring while I explained what had happened to him. He stood half listening to me, and half listening to the other person on the phone. It was then in a stroke of utter shock, I realized I was standing in front of Eddy LeVian himself.

“Excuse me,” he said in a thick accent to the person on the phone. Then he turned to me and motioned, “Who are you with?” He motioned to my friends at the door who were not allowed to enter.

“These are my friends. I’m just a college student from Ohio.” I replied. The look of bewilderment on his face was unmistakable.

“But who are you with?” He kept asking me. The implied question was how did I get there.

“I’m just a college student?”

“How long are you in the city?”

“Just for the afternoon.” I felt like a small mouse in the corporate office.

“You come back to the office upstairs; we’ll have it back for you in three hours.” I was shooed out of the office. My friends and I went around NYC for the next three hours. We did nothing more than probably the typical tourist.

When I arrived back to knock on the door in the upper office I was only allowed to bring in one person with me only. There was a large guard in the office that looked as if he’d just got off the circus train touring as the “Incredible Strongman“. I was asked to wait in the hallway. I peeked around the corner to see Eddy LeVian himself scanning what looked like twenty to thirty loose emeralds on a black velvet cloth that looked like they were the size of dimes.

“Well,” he stood up when he saw me. “Did you enjoy the city?”

“Yes.” I nodded. He was a man that intimidated me, and still could not believe it was the Eddy LeVian in the flesh.

“You sit.” He motioned to the message chair. Like a dutiful puppy, I sat on the edge of the chair. “No you sit back.” I was about as comfortable as an ice cube in the desert. He flipped on the message chair and it began its rotations on my back. “You like?” I nodded, looking up at my friend who had entered the office with me.

Saved by the courier, the knock on the door came. It was my ring. It was all fixed and better than it looked like when I bought it originally. Mr. LeVian had really made sure that my ring was in its best shape possible. I would not have gotten some of the things that needed done to it had I have asked the store to fix it back in Ohio.

I love telling that story because it is such an example of God’s favor. I had not meant to go to NYC, meet a famous jewelry designer, and get my ring in its best shape ever. It just happened. I could not have made it work out that way had I tried.


Psalm 84:9 (NIV)
Look on our shield, O God; look with favor on your anointed one

Joshua 1:9 (NIV) Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

When you are one of God’s children, His favor is with you where ever you go. He will take care of you. I promise you God can get you into situations that even you would shake your head and not be sure how you got in them, but He will make them all work out for His glory. I think so often in life we are always thinking and conjuring on how we can make something happen, instead of letting God do it. It is always better when He does. Remember God has awesome plans for your life! Get excited!