Sunday, August 21, 2016

Be Ready for the Unexpected


A few weeks ago I was having dinner with a friend at a local restaurant. It was early, so there weren't many other diners there yet. We were having a good time, although I don't remember what we were talking about other than my grandson and her great-niece & nephew! (It's all about the babies!)

A woman had come in the front door, also with a friend; they were behind me so I didn't see them at first. This woman walked past us to go to the restroom and my friend commented to me on her perfume - it was a very nice light, fresh scent. This woman was probably a little younger than us, tall, very well put together, dressed in the African style (I don't know the name for what she was wearing); she walked a little slowly to the back of the restaurant.

As she walked by to return to her table, my friend stopped her to compliment her perfume. That started our conversation. "That's a lovely scent - it was like a breath of fresh air when you walked by." An opening, an invitation to share a little, an unexpected interaction. My friend, who is very perceptive, sensed that there was some pain, some unhappiness, something not light & fresh in this woman's life and took the risk to ask. We learned that she needed a knee replacement and had just gotten approval for the surgery. She was in pain, and was also very concerned about her recovery. Her home has stairs, so she wouldn't be able to go home right away; she would need some help when she returned home; and so very important to her, she didn't know what she would do with her little dogs while she was in the hospital.

My friend reached out her hand to this woman, asked her name, and asked if we could pray for her, "We're big pray-ers," my friend said. Sherll said, yes and my friend offered a prayer for her pain, her healing, her peace. I offered a solution for her "babies" while she recuperated, a place to turn.

God spoke in that restaurant... spoke to all three of us and joined us in that moment. Perception to see the need, confidence to reach out in Gods' name,  and God worked in that moment. I will likely never see Sherll again, I won't know the outcome of her surgery. But I continue to pray for her. I know that she was brought before God that evening, as were we, and that all three of us walk closer with God because of that moment. Because we listened...