Divine Appointments

Divine Appointments

Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!

“Are you a local or visiting from afar?” I asked the woman sitting next to me. We were on the same bench at the Mall of America, waiting on kids in line for a roller coaster that spun while also looping through a track suspended under the ceiling of glass. As easy as that, I found myself in a delightful conversation with a stranger about rural Tennessee, about the species of birds visiting her feeder, about the flowers she can grow (and those she cannot). We winced in unison as children went spinning by on the track, laughing ruefully about how motion sick we felt merely watching them.

That conversation took place because I intentionally left my phone in my purse, out of sight and slightly out of reach, determined to see who was around me while I waited rather than reach for the easy distraction of my screen. It’s a social experiment I’ve been doing of late—standing in lines, waiting on benches or sidelines without distraction, looking for someone to invite into a small conversation with a simple question or a smile.

I believe God sends us divine appointments. I don’t know whose life I’m intersecting for an eternal reason, and I don’t want to miss a single one of them. Paul’s gentle admonishment to the Romans is one we need to heed if we don’t want to miss the people God sends our way. We should be careful in the strength of some of our opinions, we should be careful of the judgments we lay on people based upon initial impressions, and we should be—as followers of Jesus—seeking to live in harmony rather than stirring up controversy and chaos in the day-to-day. I want to be a woman who sees others, who isn’t too proud or too scared to approach them, and who lives in the present.

— Julie

— Today’s Act of Friendship —

Keep your eyes open and remain available for the divine appointments God sends across your path.