A complaint

Ugh.  I would have to take the long bus.  I could hear my fellow bus passengers calling their offices to say they’d be late.  Traffic was jammed on the highway.  Ordinarily, I can take 3 buses that connect so smoothly that I have less than 10 minutes total to wait between them.  Now I would have to take the long route.  My heart sank.  But then it lifted back up.  I began to ask the Lord how to use the extra time.  Before I finished praying, a new thought flashed through my head.  It was Tuesday, and I was pretty sure a particular security guard would be working.  And as events unfolded, yes, he was working, and we enjoyed a wonderful conversation.  I considered it inspired by God.  On this day, two things stood out.  I was humbled to realize what a blessing the Lord gave, even when I initially complained in my heart about the traffic jam.  And I remembered the Bible having a story where God answered a prayer even before it was finished.  In Genesis 24, Abraham sought a wife for his son and sent his servant to carry out the mission.  The servant asked God for success in his task, and before he finished praying, Rebekah appeared.  She became Isaac’s wife.  The Lord answered the servant’s prayer.  And today, He so graciously provided for me, even before my prayer was fully spoken.  Blessed again.

If I could only get some sleep . . .

I continued to wake up in the middle of the night and early in the mornings.  My attempts to take afternoon naps were to no avail.  A recent health problem further depleted my energy.  My body ached, and ibuprofen did not help.  I wanted to sleep, but I couldn’t.  This time, the rest I needed would not come in the form of sleep.  I continued to write, I continued to volunteer at the jail, and I still led Bible study and went to work.  I spent time with new friends, felt inspired to cook dinner more than usual, and found myself with unexpected energy to encourage someone else in the Lord.  Whereas I had been waking up in the mornings desperately preoccupied with figuring how I could get some sleep again, I now realized the Lord was energizing me as I continued to move.  I felt like I was running on empty, yet He rejuvenated me with the excitement that came with the different situations.  He gave me such joy that it sometimes overflowed through teardrops that also relieved my aches.  In this instance, instead of sleep, the Lord gave His version of on-the-job replenishment.  I had wanted sleep, though He wanted to show me something new.  His ways are higher than mine.

God orchestrates among the fruits and vegetables

I'm buying onions.  She's buying a watermelon.  Much of the time she lives in another country.  I rarely shop at this particular store.  For that matter, I’m usually at school at this time of day.  Yet we meet at the produce scale between the vegetables and the fruits.  She mentions writing.  I mention the book I published this summer.  And from there, we’re blessed to reminisce about how we first met 4 years ago.  I loved her insights into Abraham and Genesis.  She mentioned Paul, and I had just read Paul's words at the end of Acts the day before.  I could see the Lord weaving all kinds of threads between us.  He had turned an ordinary grocery store trip into an extraordinarily exciting 20 minutes.  Often I pray for the Lord to guide my words and my steps.  Today He blessed me by orchestrating wonder into some unlikely circumstances.  So sweet to know His presence.

"Is anyone honest?"

Last week, a man asked me this question.  I share occasional conversations with him at my bus transit center.  I love to see relationships grow, and what a pleasure to delve deeper this time I saw him.  He was in the midst of completing a written report for his job, and he had to choose between reporting honest numbers or reporting false ones.  I told him I believe at least some people intend to be honest, though certain questions do test our composure.  Have you ever squirmed to avoid spilling the beans about someone's surprise birthday party?  What about the sharply personal question about the weight I had wanted to lose last year?  All kinds of mental fidgets take place.  Yes, I do intend to be honest, and it's a humbling endeavor.  I ask the Lord to guide my words.  And I welcomed today's reminder that issues of virtue are still pondered in this world.