The trip started off really well. I had this super fun flight attendant as part of the crew. We’ll call her Holly. She was British and had a really cool accent. I loved Holly instantly and delighted in her. She is a buddhist and I’m a Jesus Lover but we really connected. We bonded on the things we had in common: A knowing about the spiritual realm and a love for adventure. Holly had been back packing all over the world. She was fearless. I marveled at all the brave things she had done in her life.
We made plans to go to Manhattan Beach. Holly’s husband calls her while we are “ubering” to the beach and says he’s driving through LA on his business trip to San Diego. She sets off with him while I get to do the thing I like most to do on layovers: Eat…oh and pray. Pray should probably be first. #Godsstillworkingonme ;) I found a cool spot that served brunch where I could eat…er…i mean pray.
I felt led to pray for my waitress, Stephanie. I left a note for her about God working things in her favor and defending her. I felt like she might be going through a divorce or break up at the time. and I sensed she really needed to know how loved she was. Don’t we all just need a little hope sometime to keep going?
I “filled my tummy up” as my nephew Gunner says and I headed towards the beach, I called my husband to check in. “Is it dirty?” he asked. “Oh yes. It is awful…just awful.” (He doesn’t need to know I’m enjoying all this beauty without him ;) My husband warned me before I left for my trip “Watch out for the gangs in LA.” Yes, very wise, hubby, because they seem to be targeting white flight attendants in their polyester-wool blend suits as new recruits these days.
I felt like God’s angels were guiding me by the shoulders the entire time I was in LA. City of Angels indeed! I would stop at a stop sign and feel the need to rest there for a moment. I would look in each direction and then my feet would start moving unbidden. I saw the beach and wanted to go stick my toes in sand but felt tugged in a different direction so I stayed on the sidewalk.
I see another lady and our paths intersect. If we had continued walking we would have collided into each other but we both stopped. I’ll call her Diana. I didn’t know why I chose there to stop (well, it was probably those darn angels) but I stood there trying to look normal. I was listening, waiting, watching for what I didn’t know. I felt like I was supposed to talk to her but didn’t know what to say. This kid started wailing and throwing a bat - $#!+ crazy temper tantrum. The mother barked, “Stop that whining right now or we are going home.” She repeated herself a few times but the kid kept wailing and hitting things. Diana and I both gave each other that knowing “mom” nod as if to say, “Been there.” Diana started the conversation as we watched on commiserating the mom’s plight, “Stop whining or we’re going home. That’s a good line I need to use it on my teenage daughter.”
I see another lady and our paths intersect. If we had continued walking we would have collided into each other but we both stopped. I’ll call her Diana. I didn’t know why I chose there to stop (well, it was probably those darn angels) but I stood there trying to look normal. I was listening, waiting, watching for what I didn’t know. I felt like I was supposed to talk to her but didn’t know what to say. This kid started wailing and throwing a bat - $#!+ crazy temper tantrum. The mother barked, “Stop that whining right now or we are going home.” She repeated herself a few times but the kid kept wailing and hitting things. Diana and I both gave each other that knowing “mom” nod as if to say, “Been there.” Diana started the conversation as we watched on commiserating the mom’s plight, “Stop whining or we’re going home. That’s a good line I need to use it on my teenage daughter.”
“It really is! My son is about to go off to college and I found a great little gem but it was probably a little too late.”
“What is it?”
“When he’s disrepectful I say “You don’t get to talk to me that way.” Stops him in his tracks for some reason.” Pretty genius. Wish I would have come up with it.
“I’ll have to try that one,” she says as the mother yanks the kids arm and drags him down the sidewalk.
She had a really cool accent like my flight attendant friend. “Are you from the UK?”
“Uh no. I’m Australian.”
“Dang, sorry.”
We were chit chatting for a bit neither knowing why we were still standing there. I asked her about her children. She talked about her teenager Jasmine.
I said, “I love that name. A flight attendant was showing me a book about flowers yesterday and we talked specifically about Jasmine.”
She responded, “Funny thing. My much younger husband wants to have a child. We will name her Violet, another flower name. I’ve worked for my business for so many years and I’m going to continue but he wants to stay home if we have one.”
“Wow, cougar” She laughed and didn’t get offended (BTW there are LOTS of cougars in Cali;) and said she had ovarian cancer, was now healed but couldn’t have any more babies naturally. They were considering a surrogate.
I asked her what she did for a living. “I have a business to help people recover from heroin.” The name of her business reminded me of the Holy Spirit and I told her so.
She had not mentioned Jesus or God in this conversation but what she said next was soooo cool. “The Holy Spirit exactly. I went away to the rainforest to be healed of ovarian cancer and the Holy Spirit downloaded a method to heal people. My dad died of a heroin overdose when I was a child and I’ve used this method and it’s healed many and it doesn’t cost $80,000 for a rehab.” I was freaking out excited by this time! I love God’s ways of loving people. We discussed how God had us both “incognito” or “stealth” in our lines of work like an undercover agent since we didn’t “advertise” our Christianity.
I said, “Well, I pray that God brings you Violet right on time and He brings all the ingredients to the recipe together to make her beautifully and wonderfully like a little bun in the oven.” The prayer seemed prophetic. God was pulling the ingredients for a recipe together to “make” Violet. I believed that God would do it for her. Just like God had given Diana His pure method or recipe to heal and cure heroin addiction, He had a recipe for her daughter. I don’t know all the details but God does. What I do know is that God brought me to that pinpoint crossroads at that exact moment on that exact day divinely and I was obedient to agree with her. Matthew 18:19 says, “I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you.”
We exchanged numbers and have been texting back and forth. Through our exchange, He was adding an ingredient to her recipe that she was missing and I was blessed to share it with her.
Big Dreams Recipe
2 cups of flour (or flower ;) (God’s word)
1/2 cup of sugar (love)
1/4 cup of butter (faith)
1/4 tsp cinnamon (fearlessness)
2 eggs (hope)
We all have big dreams in our heart and we are missing ingredients to our recipe. I think He divinely connected me with Holly, my amazing Buddhist friend, on my trip to LA! Yes, someone who doesn’t even believe in Him. She shared her fearlessness with me and I readily received it! (remember, there are gangs in LA who are initiating flight attendants I might not have left my hotel room without that fearlessness;) He connected me with the waitress Stephanie. I think she needed a big helping of HOPE in her life and He led me to agree with Diana. Will you share the things that you have in your heart with others today and agree with their big dreams? In doing so, you will find that your own dreams become a reality. Always be willing to lend your neighbor a little flour/flower or an egg in a pinch ;)
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