An Ordained Moment

Two Sundays ago, I dropped my wife off at Children’s Ministry for her last Sunday of summer teaching; I then sent a text to our friend Laura who has been walking the path of cancer.  I had a feeling she would be at church and I just wanted to lay eyes on her to see for myself how she was doing.  I simply asked the question, “Where are you?”

Her response did not quite answer my question, “Did you run into Greg.”  Little did I know that she was having a hard morning and her husband, who was scheduled to teach in a class, had suggested that she go and find me.  I had sent my text right after that conversation without any knowledge of it. Apparently, God had a plan for us to be able to talk.

After we found one another, I offered to buy her a cup of coffee, and we sat down and started to chat.  Laura is like a sister and we have shared much in life and in ministry.  It was a gift to be able to hear her heart and all that God was teaching her through her battle with cancer.  It was also a gift to have her listen to my journey and be able to share what God is shaping in me.  As good as all this was, it quickly became apparent that this was not the reason God had ordained that we spend this time together.  The real gift was about to received.

An older lady interrupted our conversation and asked for directions to the main street.  She explained that she had walked to the church to check it out.  She was not ready to go into a service just yet, and was ready to make her way home.  Being a man, I immediately started to formulate in my mind the clear and concise directions which she had asked for.

Before I could share these helpful words, Laura chimed in with, “Are you from the East Coast?"  The women said no, but that she was Greek.  Laura immediately replied, “I am a quarter Greek.”  The lady responded by asking Laura if she spoke any Greek.  Laura smiled, the big smile that I have become accustom to seeing when she is about to say something playful, and she said, “I only know the names of the pastries.”  She then rattled off a few.  We all laughed.

Laura then invited her to pull up a chair.  After the she sat down and shared with us that she had worked for Howard Hughes before he died.  Laura shared that her father had worked for Howard Hughes as well, in radar.  Our new friend smiled and told us that her husband also had worked in radar. They both worked in El Segundo, and chances are they knew one another.  They both mentioned a few names to see if they could not connect the dots.  Laura promised to ask her dad about him.

The lady went on to tell us that she was Greek Orthodox, but raised her children Irish Catholic because her husband was Catholic, but now she wanted to come and see what she might learn from this church. Laura smiled and said, my husband grew up Catholic, and he is actually teaching in one of the Sunday school classes right now.  She offered to take her over to see it, but the lady said maybe next time. 

By now we could see she relaxing.  She was feeling accepted, understood, and comfortable.

Now let me interrupt here for a moment and tell you that the church where we attend is a very well organized, and has lots of people who greet you when you walk on to campus. They have red umbrellas all over campus, marking places to go to if you have questions or need directions.  There are also lines of tables where there is easily accessed information about all their ministries.  This lady had walked passed all of these things in order to interrupt two people engaged in deep conversation so she could asks for directions.  What are the chances?

Laura asked our friend if she would like to sit with her and her husband next week in church. She told us she could not make it next Sunday, but the week after she would love to sit with them.  Laura gave her phone number, they arranged a place to meet before the worship service and then Laura looked into her eyes and said, “I don’t have your number so I am counting on you to give me a call when you are ready to come.”  She promised she would come and might even want to go to one of those Sunday school classes.

Laura reached out and touched her arm and Then something surprising happened, Our friend's eyes filled with tears and she struggled to speak.  Laura said, “Something has touched your heart, do you want to share what it is.”  She said, “There are just some heavy burdens I am carrying.  Do you know want it like to have heavy burdens?”  Then my friend Laura, who has had more burdens than most this past year, said with great humility, “Yes, I know.”  Then they both stood and Laura asked if she could pray for this her.  She said yes.  Laura embraced and kissed her and then prayed for her.

I was then able to give my clear but seemingly insignificant directions to Brea Boulevard and she walked off.

When Laura sat down she said when the lady walked up she was a bit disappointed that we were being interrupted, but she knew in her spirit that God had brought her to us. Thinking back over the past few minutes I knew there was no other explanation.  I told her what a privilege it was to sit there and watch God use her, how amazing it was to see how many connections their stories shared, and how excited I was to see what God had just started.

I could not help but smile at my friend, not the big playful smile that so often comes across her face, but a smile born out of the realization that we had just experienced a very special and unexpected moment.  I was smiling at how I thought the ordained moment of the day was meeting up with Laura, and I now realized that the ordained moment was me getting to witness my friend engage in conversation with our new friend.  In this conversation I saw traces of the Sacred.  I could see them it in how perfectly this ladies story matched up with Laura’s.  I recognized them in the giftedness and love I saw in Laura as she effortlessly engaged in conversation with a women she just met.  The Sacred was apparent in the impact this moment had on the women, and Laura, and myself.  

 It was as if I had been privileged to sit and watch God take an ordinary question, “Where is the main street?”, and turn it into evidence of how intimately He cares for us and how involved He is in even the smallest details of our lives.

It also gives me great confidence to see, how even in our hard days, a day like Laura was experiencing, God may be up to something that is special and unexpected.  He may be readying us for an ordained moment.  In my friend Laura, I am reminded, all we need to enter these moments is to be sensitive to what God might be doing and to be open to sharing our story.

It was a good Sunday!