Divine Appointment

Last week, I read a post titled Nine Doors Down by one of my very favorite bloggers…Karen Ehman.  She wrote about a missed opportunity to meet and love on a neighbor who decided to take her own life.  Oh she'd exchanged waves as she walked by and spoke as she saw her out watering flowers but she never stopped and introduced herself.  They never connected.

Missed opportunity.

Those moments can't be changed.  I'm no different than Karen and neither are you.  We're busy people.  It's a game of hustle most days just to take care of work, kids and dinner.  But God has divine appointments for us.

Are we listening for His nudges?

I blogged about my aching back on Tuesday.  What I didn't tell you was that I actually called in to the sub line.  I reached the answering machine and instead of leaving a message asking for a sub, I hung up.  In my mind, I was thinking…no big deal, I can make it in.  Later, I regretted it and felt horrible all day at school.  By the end of the day, I let a secretary know I would need Wednesday off.

God had plans.  I didn't know it, but he was orchestrating an important need.

After taking some good med's and sleeping much better Tuesday night,  I managed to do a little housework.  I noticed on my computer an instant message popped up from an old high school friend (from Florida).  I haven't spoken to her in years and her question really caught me off guard.  She asked me if I'd heard about the gunman on the loose in the next town over.  I answered with a yes and she told me it was her nephew.

Divine appointment.

We spent most of the morning communicating back and forth.  She shared about his being bi-polar and that he'd never hurt anyone before.  He had served time in prison for a burglary but he wasn't a killer.  On Monday night, a police officer pulled him over and he fired a shot into the air causing the officer to shoot back. He then fled the scene on foot and the whole community was on alert while they searched for him.  He was still missing today.  Her family was so distraught.  They believed he was trying to get the police to shoot him.

Desperate. 

As I was about to start dinner, she messaged me again.  He'd been found.  He had taken his own life.  My heart broke for her and the entire family.  His mother (my friends sister) and other relatives had gathered at a local hotel hoping for a happier ending.  Instead, the news would break their hearts and change their lives forever.

God wanted me home today.  If I had been at work, I couldn't have chatted and encouraged her throughout the day.  Nor listened to her as she shared the darkest few moments of her life as an aunt.

Divine appointment.

 

Lord,  You have a plan so important.  Help me to be open to your nudges and allow my heart to love like you do.  I pray for this family.  They are broken into many little pieces and they need your peace like never before.  Thank you for using me to love and minister in their time of need.

Amen

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