This morning I was on my way to meet a friend for coffee and running a few minutes late. I was growing increasingly anxious over the slow drivers and the red lights and the pedestrians. I quickly grabbed the first available parking spot and jumped out of the car to throw some quarters in the meter.
A woman walked by and she was crying.
I asked her if she was ok. Her name was Tammy and she told me a story of her rough morning: a car accident, a friend was supposed to pick her up in Dormont an hour and a half earlier (we were in Mt. Lebanon, where she had walked after not connecting with her friend), her cell phone was dead and she didn't have a charger and she didn't have anyone's phone numbers, she lives in Squirrel Hill but didn't have her house keys because they were in her car and her car was towed, and she was in pain from the accident.
I asked what her plan was at this point. She said she didn't know and that she had just been walking around and freaking out. I invited her to come to the coffee shop so we could figure it out. We then walked a few blocks -- very slowly -- which made me even more anxious about being late.
When we arrived at the cafe, my friend was so kind and welcoming to Tammy. The three of us talked for a few minutes, trying to find solutions, and we had none.
Suddenly, a passerby knocked on the window. Tammy lit up -- "That's my friend!" she said. Her friend had been searching for 1.5 hours, and he happened to walk right by the coffee shop in Mt. Lebanon. I was amazed!
So in about 10 minutes, God taught me three powerful lessons:
1. God is actively loving us and very involved in our life.
Tammy was in an accident and a series of events followed that put her in a bad situation. She was feeling lost, lonely, and helpless, and God showed his love to her through other people. I said hi to her, my friend welcomed her, and Tammy's friend searched for and found her. God was active in loving Tammy in her tough time. Praise God! Additionally, God's love of Tammy was a gift for me in that I could witness how he pursued her and surrounded her with love. God is generous and his gifts are multiplied for his glory.
2. Trust. Say YES and then trust in the Lord.
When I said hi to Tammy and she told me her story, I was thinking that I had no idea how to help. No idea. And the only idea was pretty involved and inconvenient -- drive to the towing company, wherever that was, get her house keys, and then drive her to Squirrel Hill. All on a Monday morning in rush hour traffic.
But, God didn't call me to have the answers. He called me to say hello. He had the answers and he was going to solve this problem. We need to trust God. We need to stop our habit of only taking action if we have it all "figured out." We desire control and knowing the end result. Instead, let us say yes to the way God moves in our heart and trust that he will be with us and provide for us. God is at work, and he invites us to participate in his work, and he will accomplish his will.
3. Meet God in the moment.
I was "busy" this morning and feeling rushed because I had plans. I didn't want to spend time talking to someone; I didn't want to de-rail my morning. But it was a moment to reach out to the stranger. Bishop Zubik has said, "We are called to see Jesus in others and to be Jesus to others." And in that short time, God reached into our lives in a powerful way. We witnessed God's movement, and we were blessed.
Where did you see God today? When did you feel him stirring in you? What happened?
