Roll up to a cute little coffee shop in my area but instead of getting out, I sit in my car. I scroll through FB. A thought came to me: Why am I in my car wasting gas with a/c blowing full blast in this blasted desert heat when I could be enjoying the free a/c in the coffee shop? #flightattendantsbebrokethesedays Still, I just sat there not knowing why. I sent some texts, read emails then all of a sudden, I felt myself turning the car off and getting out. I see a woman who parked beside me getting out of her car and a fleeting thought, “Maybe I was waiting for her?” I kept on walking and was a little miffed to find a long line to order. Should have come in earlier instead of burning gas! I didn’t have any clear conscious thoughts from God but I kept feeling a tug to turn around and talk to her…See, sometimes we are waiting on God’s booming voice to tell us to do something but it’s very rare that I hear His voice loudly…like really rare. I can probably count them on one hand but our Spirit knows and is always leading us gently…So I’m trying to think of a way to strike up a conversation without being a “stranger danger” kind of person.
I see her hat and it’s got her initials on it. “Cute hat,” I say.
“Ahhh thanks but do you think the V looks like a J?”
“Yeah, my names Jennifer so I saw J but I see now that it’s a V” So now we have a connection made but still I don’t have much to say to a stranger. Thinking….hmmm God where are you going with this? “Are you working on anything special today?”
“I’m a professor at ____ (big college) and I needed to get out of the house to focus.”
What about you?”
“Huh?”
Distracted by her interesting outfit. I look at her. She is totally mismatched: Man’s red, yellow, black plaid winter shirt, pinkish hat, ripped jean shorts, white lace shirt? (that one threw me) you could tell it was probably a rough morning…or maybe that’s just her style but she looked frazzled.
“What do you do?”
“Oh, me. I’m a flight attendant but I like to write so I’m working on that today.”
We talk about what I’m writing and that leads to me telling her I’m about to take my son to college. She shared she has a 5 and 7 year old. “I caught myself reminiscing on those days with my son. I know they are hard and have challenges but I miss them.”
She looked at me and said, “I need to remember that. We’ve had a really rough week. We flew your airline. My girls were both sick with a stomach bug and lost their lunch on the plane. I honestly couldn’t wait to get out of the house to get away from it all. Thanks for the reminder that one day I will look back and cherish these days.”
“Well, you’re welcome.” I ordered my iced green tea and said, “What are you having because I’m buying.” (see there was a reason she needed to be behind me in the line)
“Well, I was going to order a medium Chai Latte but maybe I need to make it a small.”
“Wow, that’s probably the most expensive thing on the menu.”
I tell the barista: “Give her the lobster and filet mignon. A little surf & turf along with her medium latte.” We both giggled.
“Thank you,” she says.
“Consider it from your heavenly Father. He knows what you’re going through and He wanted to give you a little kiss today. It’s all going to be all right and He loves you so much.”
“You know. I really, really needed this after the week I’ve had.”
“Ahhh thanks but do you think the V looks like a J?”
“Yeah, my names Jennifer so I saw J but I see now that it’s a V” So now we have a connection made but still I don’t have much to say to a stranger. Thinking….hmmm God where are you going with this? “Are you working on anything special today?”
“I’m a professor at ____ (big college) and I needed to get out of the house to focus.”
What about you?”
“Huh?”
Distracted by her interesting outfit. I look at her. She is totally mismatched: Man’s red, yellow, black plaid winter shirt, pinkish hat, ripped jean shorts, white lace shirt? (that one threw me) you could tell it was probably a rough morning…or maybe that’s just her style but she looked frazzled.
“What do you do?”
“Oh, me. I’m a flight attendant but I like to write so I’m working on that today.”
We talk about what I’m writing and that leads to me telling her I’m about to take my son to college. She shared she has a 5 and 7 year old. “I caught myself reminiscing on those days with my son. I know they are hard and have challenges but I miss them.”
She looked at me and said, “I need to remember that. We’ve had a really rough week. We flew your airline. My girls were both sick with a stomach bug and lost their lunch on the plane. I honestly couldn’t wait to get out of the house to get away from it all. Thanks for the reminder that one day I will look back and cherish these days.”
“Well, you’re welcome.” I ordered my iced green tea and said, “What are you having because I’m buying.” (see there was a reason she needed to be behind me in the line)
“Well, I was going to order a medium Chai Latte but maybe I need to make it a small.”
“Wow, that’s probably the most expensive thing on the menu.”
I tell the barista: “Give her the lobster and filet mignon. A little surf & turf along with her medium latte.” We both giggled.
“Thank you,” she says.
“Consider it from your heavenly Father. He knows what you’re going through and He wanted to give you a little kiss today. It’s all going to be all right and He loves you so much.”
“You know. I really, really needed this after the week I’ve had.”
Three Things I learned through that interaction about divine appointments:
1. Timing is Important: He sets up divine appointments for us every day. Be sensitive to His leading today. If we are in a hurry or sleep walking through life we miss our “important to God appointments” What if I had rushed in to focus on my writing…then she wouldn’t be behind me and there would have been a misconnect or what if I was pissed about the wait then I would have been too frustrated to talk to her
2. It doesn’t have to be profound. Just say something….anything…even if it’s lame like “cute hat” to start the conversation. Our fear of rejection can keep us and others from making the connection.
3. Be generous. I’m counting my pennies right now. If I listened to my “never enough” voice I would have been too cheap to “waste” gas or to buy the $3 drink. I planted a seed in her through our connection (she drank the latte/koolaid (haha) so she received the gift from God and who knows how that will play out with her planting seeds in her students!
1. Timing is Important: He sets up divine appointments for us every day. Be sensitive to His leading today. If we are in a hurry or sleep walking through life we miss our “important to God appointments” What if I had rushed in to focus on my writing…then she wouldn’t be behind me and there would have been a misconnect or what if I was pissed about the wait then I would have been too frustrated to talk to her
2. It doesn’t have to be profound. Just say something….anything…even if it’s lame like “cute hat” to start the conversation. Our fear of rejection can keep us and others from making the connection.
3. Be generous. I’m counting my pennies right now. If I listened to my “never enough” voice I would have been too cheap to “waste” gas or to buy the $3 drink. I planted a seed in her through our connection (she drank the latte/koolaid (haha) so she received the gift from God and who knows how that will play out with her planting seeds in her students!
I probably miss a few opportunities every day because I’m doing my thang or frustrated with situations. I know God loves me still but when I choose to follow his gentle lead, then I get to be part of the miraculous: God’s love for another. When we let His love flow through us, we experience it for ourselves. Jn 13:34 A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you MUST love one another. #winwin#golovesomebodytoday #noexcuses #doitafraid
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