I don't believe in coincidence. I don't think something "just happens." I think that the omnipotent, omnipresent Creator of the entire vast universe puts His personal touch (let's call them God moments) on even seemingly small events. I believe He has a sense of humor, and sometimes I think he just wants to make sure His presence is known. Yesterday there were a couple of cool God moments I feel like sharing.
Last night I went to Midtown Community Church with my friends Haylie and Melanie. Since it was Easter the service was mostly focused on worship, and it was an incredible time of fellowship and praise for the Risen Lord. After the service everyone walked a couple blocks to the pastor's home for a baptism service. The baptism was different than anything I was used to for a couple reasons: A) the baptismal pool was, in fact, a hot tub on the pastor's back porch, B) plenty of people chose that night to make their outward declaration of the faith instead of the typical routine of going through classes and whatnot before being allowed to be baptized, and C) people of the church took time to tell stories of how each person being baptized had personally impacted them through friendship and service.
One of the last people to be baptized was a man named Samuel. Samuel is at least six-foot-five, and, to quote the pastor, he would be one of the most intimidating people to encounter if it weren't very his ever-present smile. As person after person shared their stories about how Samuel has been a true representation of Jesus to them, all I wanted to do was give him a hug. He didn't revel in the attention or anything, but he humbly glorified God as people sang his praises. The pastor finally intervened and said that if everyone present shared how Samuel had affected their lives then we would be there all night, so they asked Samuel if there was anything he wanted to share before being baptized. He simply thanked everyone for being a part of his life and said "Long Live the King!" (which was the topic of the sermon at church).
When Samuel was baptized (by two men, for that matter), the coolest God moment happened. As he came out of the water, he threw his hands in the air and let out a joyous yell. Right as he did that a HUGE gust of wind swept over the crowd. Some skeptics might say it was just foreshadowing the storm that would come later in the evening, but I believe God was just making his presence felt instead of just being known. It was like He was saying, "I am here. I am powerful. My servant, Samuel, is living proof of the great things I can do if you will just relinquish control to me."
So obviously that was pretty powerful.
Later on I was driving Haylie home when she asked me how I was feeling as I prepare for Estonia. I told her I was excited, scared, and a little bit of everything in between. I said didn't know how to appropriately describe exactly what I was feeling...and that's when it happened.
***I feel I need to preface the next part by saying that I have 2,672 songs on my iPod currently, and music is pretty the best form of therapy I could ever ask for. I feel like there's a song for any emotion or situation, as made evident by my penchant for spontaneously bursting into song (a trait I inherited from my mother, no doubt). That being said, what happened was a total God moment.***
So I told Haylie I didn't know how to appropriately describe how I was feeling when my iPod shuffled to the next song: "I Have Confidence" from The Sound of Music. Yes, I love showtunes and I'm not ashamed to admit it, but that's not the point; as the song started, Haylie and I just looked at each other, shocked and elated, and began singing along. I replaced the line "A captain with seven children" with "A country in eastern Europe" and it was a perfect match. The song ended, and Haylie and I burst out laughing. We agreed that God's sense of humor is way better than ours, and our conversation moved on to the next topic.
I think as I continue to prepare for this summer, I really just need prayer for confidence more than anything. I feel like once I get the hang of things I will be good to go, but it's the fear of the unknown that has me feeling a bit like the Cowardly Lion. Please just keep praying that I'll have confidence in both sunshine and rain and that God will continue to mold me into the woman he has made me to be.
Peace and Love,
A Sojourner
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