"Chance" Encounters
Summer! The word alone gets my blood pumping. Thoughts fly as free as a drive across the country with only a destination in mind. Oh, the possibilities! These thoughts are natural, I suspect, since at the moment, we are on a road trip headed “south.” Quite frankly, although we are two states away from home, the scenery right now is not much different! Familiar scenery passes by and my mind wanders.
What a great opportunity to turn inward and reflect! I just read the Facebook post of a friend on vacation, who, by chance, met a man dying of cancer in Idaho. The short exchange between the man and this family ended in an intense sharing of Jesus. The pivotal question was, “Do you know Jesus?” What ensued was a man’s blazing testimony of faith in a God who has planned a glorious future for him as he finishes his final six months on earth!
I wonder, how many people did this random encounter, and the remarkable post, end up encouraging today and into the future? Truly, only God knows!
This got me thinking of just last week when I attended the funeral of a dear friend’s mother. An hour away from home, I know for sure that I would recognize maybe eight people there, and three of them were little people below age five…
However, as we stood in line, a family member I knew came out to greet me. Quickly she introduced me to a quiet-looking woman standing alone in line ahead. All she said was, “You two have to meet.” We met, and within a few minutes this missionary’s wife and I bonded over our love for God’s Word, Jesus the Christ, and women’s ministry ideas. I went away from the church that day with a renewed spirit and inspiration to do God’s work with more love, more compassion and more faith. The time is short indeed!
On my drive home, I reflected on a myriad of these “chance” encounters, often these happened when I was traveling for work, or when alone. A short list would include:
Michael, an undercover pilot who delivered Bibles to places void of the Gospel
Lynn, an Oxford professor in need of prayer and a strategy to deliver bad news
A distraught colleague whose teenaged son committed suicide
Amy, a girl who had to travel for work and had gotten disconnected from her husband, family and Jesus
A down and out newly divorced mom, longing for a better life for her children
A scared mother at the workplace, whose son had just suffered an aneurysm
Linda, a caring auntie, whose niece’s mother had died in a car crash shortly after her own diagnosis of breast cancer
Some would say, “What a lucky/unlucky coincidence!” Others just shake their heads at the random way my personal interactions occur. But, I have to agree with the woman at the funeral. When she asked, “What are the chances we would ever meet in this life,” the likely answer would have to be ‘very slim’. In tandem, we agreed on my answer, that nothing is random, by chance, or complete coincidence! Each one of these short but intense times with intriguing or hurting or inspirational people was the result of one thing only.
God.
He planned the meetings in advance. Following each “divine appointment,” my heart and soul is amazed and filled with wonder.
My mind fills with praise, and my mouth chortles out songs.
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10
Perhaps you are saying, “Yeah, but you have a gift.” Maybe I do, and if so, I thank Jesus for it. At the risk of scorn, though, I urge you to consider your own past opportunities.
Who have you met lately or in the past that has shared the gospel, prayed for you, encouraged you, or thanked you for seeing them and acting?
Do you know that those in Christ ALL have many divine appointments over a lifetime?
Are we seeing these opportunities as such?
And what result did these meetings bring – more joy, more love, more Jesus?
One thing I have noticed about these encounters – they appear out of the blue, when I am least prepared, and they pass quickly. But, when they do come, why not just go for it? If you walk away praising God, woo hoo! If you beat yourself up over missed moments, do you give up? NO! Go to your heavenly Father, and ask for more chances and more grace to see others, to better discern the right timing. Pray for God to open the eyes and ears of your heart. And then stand back and watch out. You will be given a generous amount of opportunities, pressed down and overflowing! Nothing is more exciting than being used by God to share the message of the gospel.
What stories are uniquely yours? Share them in the comments below! And may the Lord guide your efforts to show the living Christ to a dying world.