Month: May 2015

Serendipitous Encounters

I could not escape the subway car fast enough. From the corner of my eye, I spotted the guesstimated 8-month pregnant figure making its way toward my section. The modestly dressed young woman claimed to need food and shelter. Her erratic gestures and matted long hair triggered apprehension around her. “Please open” I begged the double steel doors as the brakes screeched. I skirted out passed the rush hour crowd and meandered up the concrete stairs.

Safely in my office building, my conscience relentlessly nagged me. I attempted to placate her with assertions like “it’s understandable, I was low on cash, I did not want to be late.” Unconvinced, my higher self overtook the internal discourse. Surely, I could have offered a positive word or simply an acknowledgement.

What does it mean to give encouragement? We see it en masse at ball games when an entire assembly is routing for its team. Then there is the clichéd vignette that many can relate to of the mother wiping away her child’s tears. Less overtly, I believe God cleverly orchestrates opportunities for us to provide hope to others in our daily lives. A smile and greeting to a stranger entering an elevator may have a strong impact on someone who is feeling depressed and insignificant. A compliment to a frail and sickly co-worker undoubtedly energizes the spirit. And a frightened and destitute expectant mother could have been comforted by a nod and gleaming look.

Such offers of encouragement fulfill us as well. The character of the giver is strengthened as we emulate the One who provided the ultimate consolation on the Cross. In this season of Pentecost, receive the Spirit of the Lord and be empowered to give support. As witnesses of Christ, we will be lead down the rode of everlasting.

Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere – in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Loud Silence

So bored one Sunday morning, I felt distracted by the aimless reality show playing in the background. An uncomfortable emptiness began to plague the space in my room. This was strange because my children and my husband were at home nearby. What was bothering me? Sunday morning…I was not in church and was missing the connection and fellowship with God.

I needed to start my day with praise. I muted the television and knelt down. As I began to pray, my soul quieted. I began to make out little noises such as my daughter’s cackling breath as she napped while recovering from a cold. Farther, I heard the running kitchen faucet and imagined it was my husband washing a few cups and utensils that accumulated in the sink that morning. The busy patter of my toddler’s feet in the playroom provided a sense of joy.

Beyond the wooden structure of my home, sound waves picked up a few cars dashing by the semi-busy street half a block away as well as the lovely whistling of birds among the trees. Very soothing was the light rustling of the leaves as the breeze shook them.

In this cacophony, praise came easy. The sounds, all intermingled were the expression of God in me at that very moment. I felt comforted, alive, content and blessed. I re-established my link with the Holy Spirit, realizing that He had never left. Stop, listen and hear the Lord in your life.

Psalms 145:5 “On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate”.

Dust Settles

I woke up stunned to hear of yet another fatal derailment, this time on an Amtrak train running between Washington D.C. and New York Penn Station. The more surprising and disturbing piece of news was the speed at which the train approached a familiar bend in Philadelphia, the site of the accident. The engineer hit the emergency brake just 3 seconds before derailment as the train travelled an extraordinary 106 mph in a 50 mph zone.

One woman interviewed stated that after the impact, individuals crawled in the darkness underneath the mangled car to escape the wreckage. “I was happy to taste dirt, that told me I was still alive”, exclaimed the thankful passenger.

This statement strongly resonated with me. That very morning, before the day’s news blared from my TV, I lay in the dawn with its orange streaked sky and thanked the Lord. There was an unusual sensation that overwhelmed my spirit, the feeling of a lifting. A unique sense that I somehow escaped an arduous period in my life and the oppressiveness was dissipating. It was palpable.

The image that came to mind was of the final battle of a long-fought war. Those last shots before the enemy surrenders and crops of dust and gun powder begin to settle. A survivor perceiving the attenuating “pops” may realize that the battle has ended but may remain unsure of the ultimate state of combat. Not until that dust and debris have been cleared or washed away can an accounting or assessment be done. Then, the winner is decreed.

Similarly, in the Kingdom of God, we as Christians know that the eternal conflict has been won in Calvary by the shedding of the Lamb’s crimson blood. Nonetheless, the battle rages on as the forces of evil will not simply accept defeat. Thus, in life, we struggle with the rising “dirt” of joylessness, dissatisfaction, grief, lack of peace. I tell you dear Christians, you have already prevailed, Christ has won the war. Through the cleansing of the Holy Spirit, the dust and dirt will disperse. Have faith and do good works. Fight the good fight knowing that the Lord’s joy is our strength.

Psalms 30:5 “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”